Stenting surgery is popular nowadays and several heart patients are undergoing it. Doctors decide the procedure and also see whether it is required for the patient or not.
Coronary angioplasty (AN-jee-o-plas-tee), is also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon catheter that gets inserted in a blocked blood vessel to help widen it and also improve blood flow to one’s heart.
Angioplasty is quite often combined with the placement of a small wire mesh tube known as a stent. The stent does help prop the artery open, decreasing its chance of narrowing again. Most stents are rather coated with medication to help keep the artery open (drug-eluting stents). Rarely, bare-metal stents are made use of.
Angioplasty can indeed improve symptoms of blocked arteries, like chest pain as well as shortness of breath. Angioplasty is rather often used during a heart attack to quickly open a blocked artery and also reduce the amount of damage to one’s heart.
Angioplasty is used to treat the buildup of fatty plaques in the heart’s blood vessels. This buildup is a sort of a type of heart disease known as atherosclerosis.
Angioplasty, stenting surgery, is for:
- Those who have tried medications or lifestyle changes but have not improved one’s heart health.
- For those having chest pain (angina) that is worsening.
- If the person has a heart attack. Angioplasty can rather quickly open a blocked artery, reducing damage to one’s heart.
Angioplasty is not meant for all. Much depends upon the extent of one’s heart disease and one’s overall health; the doctor may determine that coronary artery bypass surgery happens to be a better option than angioplasty.
Coronary artery bypass surgery is required if:
- The main artery that tends to bring blood to the left side of one’s heart is narrow
- The heart muscle is weak
- If having diabetes and multiple severe blockages in one’s arteries
Angioplasty is performed through an artery in one’s groin, arm, or wrist area. General anesthesia is not required. A sedative is given to relax, but the person can wake during the procedure depending on how deeply the person is sedated.
Angioplasty takes several hours, depending of course on the difficulty and number of blockages and if complications arise.
Pressure in the area where the catheter is inserted can be felt. Mild discomfort is felt when the balloon is inflated and the artery is stretched.
Coronary artery stent
Stent placement
Most people who undergo angioplasty also have a stent placed in their blocked artery during the same procedure. A stent, which looks like a tiny coil of wire mesh, supports the walls of one’s artery and also helps prevent it from re-narrowing after angioplasty.
To keep one’s heart healthy after angioplasty, then it is better to :
- Quit smoking.
- Lowering one’s cholesterol levels.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Eating a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat.
- Controlling other conditions, such as diabetes as well as high blood pressure.
- Getting regular exercise.
- Taking medications as prescribed by one’s doctor.
Conclusion
A stent is thus a metal or plastic tube that is inserted into a blocked passageway to keep it open. Stents have revolutionized the treatment of coronary artery disease as well as other diseases in which vital vessels or passageways get obstructed.
Stenting surgery has indeed become fairly common and has allowed for the minimally invasive treatment of conditions that once required surgery. Yet, there are complications linked with this procedure, and may not be suitable for all.