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Key Points
- A stent is a small mesh tube thats used to
treat narrowed or weakened arteries in the body.
- A stent is usually placed in an artery after it
has been widened with a procedure called
angioplasty.
- Angioplasty and stents are often used to relieve
chest pain and minimize damage to the heart due to narrowed or blocked heart
arteries. They also are used in other arteries in the body to prevent loss of
blood flow to the limbs, and to prevent weakened arteries from bursting.
- Stents are usually made of metal mesh, but
sometimes theyre made of fabric. Fabric stents, also called stent grafts,
are used in larger arteries.
- Stents can be placed in the carotid arteries or
the aorta, and in leg, arm, or kidney arteries to prevent
stroke or loss of a limb, or to relieve
high
blood pressure.
- Stents are used to repair aortic arteries that
have bulges called
aneurysms.
- To place a stent, your doctor makes a small
opening in a blood vessel in your groin (upper thigh), arm, or neck. Through
this opening, a flexible, plastic tube (catheter) with a collapsed balloon and
stent on the end is threaded up to the area of the artery that needs treatment.
The balloon is then expanded, which widens the narrowed artery and pushes the
stent into place.
- The placement of a stent only takes a few hours.
You may have to stay in the hospital for up to 3 days, depending on which
artery was treated. You may feel some pain when the balloon is expanded to push
a stent into place.
- To prevent blood clots, you will probably take
blood-thinning medicines for at least a few months after having a stent
placed.
- Vigorous exercise and heavy lifting should be
avoided for a short time after a stent procedure. Your doctor will discuss with
you when you can resume normal activities.
- Developing a blood clot at the stent site is the
main risk of having a stent. Blood clots can cause
heart
attack, stroke, and other serious problems. This risk is greatest during
the first few months after the stent is placed in the artery. Taking
blood-thinning or anticlotting medicines can decrease the risk for a blood
clot. There also are risks related to angioplasty and to the placement of the
stent.
- Patients with drug-releasing stents are usually
advised to take aspirin and an anticlotting drug, such as clopidogrel, for
months to years to lower the risk of blood clots.
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What Are the Risks... Links
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