Stents are usually used in a serious or major surgery when the person’s heart is not working as it should do. Are you much aware of stent usage in the heart? In this blog, we are going to share stent usage in heart and how the procedure goes.

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What is a Stent?

A stent is a tiny tube that your doctor can insert into a blocked passageway to keep it open. The stent restores the flow of blood or other fluids, depending on where it’s placed.

Stents are made of either metal or plastic. Stent grafts are larger stents used for larger arteries. They may be made of specialized fabric. Stents can also be coated with medication to help keep a blocked artery from closing.

It helps in:

• Open narrowed arteries

• Reduce symptoms, like chest pain

• Help treat a heart attack

These types are called heart stents, but they’re also referred to as cardiac stents or coronary stents. Usually made of metal mesh, they’re put into arteries in a procedure called a percutaneous coronary intervention or, its more common name, angioplasty.

Performed with local anesthesia and mild sedation, angioplasty involves no major incisions and usually takes about an hour. If you need more than one stent, it can take longer.

What are the Types of Stents?

There are 5 types of stents include:

• Dual Therapy Stent (DTS)

• Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS)

• Bio-engineered Stent

• Drug-Eluting Stent (DES)

• Bare Metal Stent (BMS)

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Stent Usage in Heart and How it Performed:

There are several ways to insert a stent:

The surgeon inserts a stent using a minimally invasive procedure. They will make a small incision and use a catheter to guide specialized tools through your blood vessels to reach the area that needs a stent. This incision is usually in the groin or arm. One of those tools may have a camera on the end to help your doctor guide the stent.

During the procedure, the doctor may also use an imaging technique called an angiogram to help guide the stent through the vessel.

Using the necessary tools, the doctor will locate the broken or blocked vessel and install the stent. Then they will remove the instruments from your body and close the incision.

Heart Stent Risk Factors

Risks may include:

• Bleeding at the spot on your skin where your doctor inserted the tube

• Damage to your blood vessel from the tube

• Infection

• Irregular heartbeat

About 1% to 2% of people who have a stent may get a blood clot where the stent is placed. This can put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Your risk of getting a blood clot is highest during the first few months after the procedure.

After you get a stent put in, your doctor might tell you to take aspirin or another medication to prevent blood clots. You may need to take the medicine for 1 month up to 1 year or for the rest of your life.

Precautions After Heart Stent:

Try to avoid sexual activity for at least 2 to 5 days. Consult your provider when it will be fine to start again.  Importantly do not take a bath or swim for the first week after the stent usage in the heart. You may take showers, but make sure the area where the catheter was inserted does not get wet for the first 24 to 48 hours.

In the above-mentioned detail about Stent Usage in Heart and its types, performed, risk factors and the precautions are described. Precautions are a must but when you start feeling any consciousness or restless feeling, consult Dr. Ajay Kumar Sharma. He is one of the reputed heart doctors in Noida. He is very gentle and understanding. Do consult him to cure your cardiovascular illness.

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