How Effective Is a Heart Stent? What the Procedure Involves
How effective is a heart stent? See how the procedure opens blocked arteries, how recovery compares with bypass surgery, and the risks to watch for.
Getting a heart ring, or stent, is one of the most effective ways to treat coronary heart disease. The procedure is done with great care, and before it begins, the patient is examined thoroughly by a cardiologist. So just how effective is cardiology intervention with a heart stent? Here is an overview.
What Is Stent Placement?
Stent placement is a procedure in which a small tube-like device is fitted to open a blocked artery. The device is made of metal and is safe for the body. It widens arteries that are clogged with cholesterol plaque and other substances.
After the procedure, the patient's blood flow improves and the risk of a heart attack drops. Besides arteries, a stent can also be placed in other blood vessels, depending on where the blockage is. After placement, the patient's health improves.
How Effective Is a Heart Stent?
Patients who have this procedure are generally people with chest pain, especially during strenuous activity. Anyone diagnosed with coronary heart disease needs a stent. To make the diagnosis more certain, doctors usually base the decision for cardiology intervention on CT scan results.
The patient is then asked to take a stress test to see how the heart performs under pressure. If a blockage is confirmed, stent placement is the procedure that follows. It is clearly safe and commonly used in Indonesia. Just make sure you choose a hospital that is clearly professional.
Stent placement does not require major surgery, so the risk of infection is low. The stent is inserted with a catheter through a blood vessel in the groin, neck or arm. The patient only receives a local anesthetic and so does not lose consciousness entirely. The procedure also does not take long.
It is no surprise that doctors increasingly use it as an alternative to heart bypass surgery. Recovery is much faster, so patients do not need a long hospital stay. Patients must still maintain a healthy lifestyle so the stent does not cause problems.
Cardiology intervention with a stent is not free of risk. Although the success rate is high, risks can still arise, though the percentage is small. They include blood clots, blood vessel infection and drug allergy. Be sure to attend your follow-up checkups on schedule.
That is what you need to know about stent placement. To keep everything on track, follow every piece of advice your doctor gives before and after the procedure. Also make sure you choose the best heart hospital, so that every treatment is backed by expert judgment.
