Myths and facts about getting a stent
Here’s everything you need to know about this common heart procedure.
Lifestyle changes and medication are often the first steps to treating coronary artery disease. But if those strategies don’t help ease your symptoms, especially chest pain or shortness of breath, your next step may be angioplasty with a stent (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI).
Here’s how this minimally invasive procedure works: Doctors use a tiny balloon to open clogged arteries. Then they insert a wire-mesh tube, or stent, to help keep the blood flowing easily. They access the affected arteries by threading a catheter through a large vessel in your groin or arm.
A recent long-term study showed that PCI not only saves patients’ lives in an emergency but also helps them live for many years to come. It’s even a good option for many older adults. Even though PCI has been around for years, there are still lots of misperceptions about it. We’re here to help you separate fact from fiction.
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Myth: Getting a stent will cure my heart disease.
Fact: While your doctor may recommend PCI to treat your chest pain, it doesn’t fix what’s causing your arteries to get blocked and harden in the first place. The good news is that many people who undergo PCI won’t need a new procedure for the same blockage.
“The vast majority of stents — around 97% to 98% of them — stay open forever,” says James Smith, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at AdventHealth in Tampa, Florida. “But the process of creating a new blockage can still be present and actually form in other areas.”
Myth: I’ll face a long, tough recovery.
Fact: Chances are you’ll be back on your feet sooner than you might think. Elective PCIs are usually outpatient procedures done at a hospital or a surgical center, so overnight hospital stays aren’t common. “With most of these interventions, patients can go home the same day,” says Hiram Bezerra, M.D., medical director of the Interventional Cardiology Center at Tampa General Hospital in Florida.
Following the procedure, expect to spend between three and six hours in recovery before being discharged, Dr. Bezerra says. Because you’ll receive anesthesia, you’ll need a friend to drive you home. Then you’ll need to slow down a bit for five days. Your doctor will likely advise you to avoid strenuous activity and to avoid using the arm or leg where the catheter was inserted. If your groin artery was used, don’t climb stairs or drive for those first five days, recommends Dr. Bezerra.
But you don’t have to stay in bed. You can walk around the same day you have the procedure. And when those five days are up, you can resume normal activities, including sex.
Recovery time is important not because your doctor is concerned about your heart, explains Dr. Bezerra. Instead, taking it easy helps prevent bleeding and gives the procedure site time to heal.
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Myth: The contrast dye used in the procedure can harm my kidneys.
Fact: That’s a rare complication affecting only 2% of patients, according to the National Kidney Foundation. The contrast dye doctors use helps them see the blood flowing through your arteries on live X-ray pictures. These images help guide them during the procedure.
To prevent problems with certain contrast dyes, your doctor will evaluate your kidney function and risk factors before your PCI. “Kidney damage depends on how much contrast dye is used, so it’s something we have to be cautious with,” says Dr. Smith.
He recommends drinking plenty of fluid after the procedure to help flush the dye out of your body more quickly. For most people, the benefits of PCI far outweigh the risks of using contrast dyes, he says.
Myth: Once I get this procedure, I can say goodbye to my medications.
Fact: You still need to take your medication. It’s crucial for controlling your cholesterol and blood pressure, says Dr. Bezerra. “This will prevent the disease from progressing.”
And a heart-healthy lifestyle is just as important as ever. “We’ll keep nagging about your diet and exercise and getting your cholesterol right,” says Dr. Smith. Though some risk of heart disease may be genetic, your diet and exercise play a big role in staying as healthy as possible. “We can’t change your genes,” Dr. Smith says. “But everything else that you can do to prevent plaque from clogging your arteries, we want you to do.”
