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 is spent in the hospital may depend on if there were any difficulties during the procedure and how well the catheter insertion site is healing.
What should you expect? The procedure may take place right after the arteriogram, which is used to find the blockage, or it may occur the next day. You may need to stay in the hospital two or three days.
After having a planned (non-emergency) coronary angioplasty, you'll usually be able to leave hospital the same day or following day. Arrange for someone to take you home. Before you leave hospital, you should be given advice on: any medication you need to take.
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.
The stent pushes against your artery walls, squashing fatty deposits against the artery wall so that blood can flow through it more freely. The procedure usually takes around 30 minutes, but it can take longer depending on how many sections of your artery need treatment.
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.
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.
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.
Possible risks of the stenting procedure
Bleeding or discomfort where the catheter was inserted. Damage to blood vessels from the catheter. Infection. Rarely, damage to kidneys from contrast dye.
The meta-analysis showed that stents delivered no benefit over medical therapy for preventing heart attacks or death for patients with stable coronary artery disease. Still, many cardiologists argued, stents improved patients' pain. It improved their quality of life.
Driving after a heart attack and a stent
If you had a heart attack and a stent (angioplasty) at the same time, you should not drive for at least two weeks.
Rule No 4: Moderate exercise after stenting procedure: No patient needs bed rest following stent implantation. It is advisable for patients to commence moderate exercise such as walking on the plain ground soon after angioplasty and gradually increase the intensity of exercise.
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.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia which means that there is no need of fasting, no need of anesthesia and no need of stay in the hospital. It just takes 10 seconds to remove the stent.
Just after the procedure
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. If the sheath was left in the insertion site, it will be removed from the groin or arm at the appropriate time.
For the first five days, do only light activities.
Walking, climbing stairs and taking care of routine activities are usually fine. After five days, your doctor will likely say you can resume moderate activities, but you should avoid over-exertion that leads to shortness of breath, tiredness or chest pain.
An estimated two million people get coronary artery stents every year, and if you have coronary artery disease, there is a good chance your doctor will suggest you get one.
Watch for saturated fats in butter, cream, cheese, fatty red meat, and poultry skin. Trans fats can be found in fried and packaged foods — they contribute to high levels of unhealthy cholesterol. Refined and processed grains. Think white bread and white rice.
One can go back to their normal routine within 2 to 3 days after undergoing the procedure, depending on the doctors' recommendations. However, patients who undergo this procedure must ensure they follow the above-mentioned lifestyle changes to lead a long and healthy life after stent placement.
You can have episodes of pain or discomfort as the stent settles into place. This pain is usually felt quite locally in the chest, and is often described as sharp or stabbing. This type of pain can often be relieved by taking acetaminophen (Tylenol).”
By clinical guidelines, an artery should be clogged at least 70 percent before a stent should be placed, Resar said.
Answer: After a heart attack and after stenting, it is safe to drive your car. Although you want to give yourself a week or two to recuperate and get your strength back because driving a car does involve close-attention driving and some strength.
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.
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.
damage to the artery where the sheath was inserted. allergic reaction to the contrast agent used during the procedure. damage to an artery in the heart. excessive bleeding requiring a blood transfusion.