Typically, you're awake during your stent placement because it's a minimally invasive procedure. Medicine helps you relax, and a local anesthetic numbs the area of insertion, but you're able to hear your doctor and you're aware of what's going on around you.
A coronary angioplasty is performed using local anaesthetic, which means you'll be awake while the procedure is carried out. A thin, flexible tube called a catheter will be inserted into one of your arteries through an incision in your groin, wrist or arm.
For some patients, stent placement is an outpatient procedure while others may require an overnight stay in the hospital. Your medical team will monitor you closely after the procedure to ensure proper recovery. Restrictions after the procedure include avoiding strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for several days.
Stent Removal
Most patients stay awake when a stent is removed, but you may have a numbing gel applied to your urethra (your urinary tract opening) before the procedure.
A stent can cause blood clotting, which may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute state that about 1 to 2 percent of people who have stented arteries develop a blood clot at the site of the stent. Doctors will usually prescribe one or more drugs to prevent clotting.
A week to a month after the procedure
The patient may be permitted to resume more moderate activities, including office work, but, would be advised to avoid all activities that may cause chest pain or shortness of breath.
Usually, patients stay overnight and return home the day after the procedure. Some may even go home the same day. The amount of time that you stay in the hospital will depend on if there were any difficulties during the procedure and how well the catheter insertion site is healing.
Just after the procedure
A nurse will watch your vital signs, your neurological signs, and the injection site while you are in the recovery room. Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are alert, you may be taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) or a regular hospital room.
Myth: The angioplasty procedure and stent fixed my heart problems. Fact: You should feel better immediately after your angioplasty because it opened your blocked blood vessel and blood started to flow freely.
Stenting is a minimally invasive procedure, meaning it is not considered major surgery. Stents can be made of metal mesh, fabric, silicone, or combinations of materials. Stents used for coronary arteries are made of metal mesh. Fabric stents, also called stent grafts, are used in larger arteries such as the aorta.
Stent placement usually takes 30 minutes to two hours, but the preparation and recovery time may add several hours. This procedure is usually performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Check with your doctor about the details of your procedure.
Many people are told that a 70 percent blockage of the coronary artery will require a stent, but ultimately, it depends on the individual, their current health status, and the likelihood that the stent will improve the overall quality of life.
Instead of using salt to flavor your meals, choose other herbs, spices, and seasonings. Another option to avoid is anything high in saturated fats, including butter, whole milk, bacon, cured meats, and red meat.
U.K. sources add that it's common to experience this new chest discomfort in the first few days and weeks following a stent procedure. “This is because your artery has suffered some trauma and bruising from the stent being fitted. You can have episodes of pain or discomfort as the stent settles into place.
Stents can cause discomfort or pain, commonly in the bladder and kidney (loin) area, but sometimes in other areas such as the groin, urethra and genitals. The discomfort or pain may be more noticeable after physical activities and after passing urine.
Limit going up and down stairs to around 2 times a day for the first 2 to 3 days. Don't do yard work, drive, squat, carry heavy objects, or play sports for at least 2 days, or until your health care provider tells you it is safe.
Bypass surgery usually is the best choice for a blocked LAD. If the LAD is not blocked, and there are no other complicating factors, stents are more likely to be used, even if both of the other arteries are blocked.
After the Procedure in the Hospital
You should immediately inform your nurse if you feel any chest pain or tightness, or any other pain, as well as any feelings of warmth, bleeding, or pain at the insertion site in your leg or arm. Bedrest may vary from two to six hours depending on your specific condition.
General anesthesia isn't needed. You'll receive a sedative to help you relax, but you may be awake during the procedure depending on how deeply you are sedated. You'll receive fluids, medications to relax you and blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) through an IV catheter in your hand or arm.
Invasive procedures such as bypass surgery and stenting—commonly used to treat blocked arteries—are no better at reducing the risk for heart attack and death in patients with stable ischemic heart disease than medication and lifestyle changes alone.
Answer: If you are someone who typically drinks alcohol each day, a wine, a beer, something like that, it's probably better not to drink alcohol for the first month after you get home to allow your heart to recover. We do know that at higher levels, alcohol is bad for the heart.
Presence of the stent card increased the likelihood by 2.5 times that patients could identify the vessel stented. The older the patient was and/or the longer it had been since their previous PCI, the less likely they were to recall correct information on their stent.
Along with these two critical components, follow your cardiologist's advice and take your prescribed medicines on time to manage your blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. As a result, even after implanting stents in three major coronary arteries, if correctly controlled, you can live a long life.
You will need to take antiplatelet medicines, or blood thinners, to prevent blood clots from forming in the stents in your arteries. Your provider may prescribe these medicines for 1 year or more after getting a coronary stent. For carotid or peripheral artery stents, it may be 1 month or more.