Choosing the Right Type of Stent for Your Clogged Coronary Artery

	Tweet

When they were introduced in 2003, drug-coated stents were hailed as a revolutionary new step in Angioplasty , a surgical procedure to open a blocked coronary artery. But reports of heart attacks and deaths in a small number of patients soon forced a more careful examination of the risks of these devices. The June 2008 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter provides an update on drug-coated stents and outlines how to choose the right stent for your needs.

Stents are tiny wire cages that can fit inside an artery. They were invented to prop open heart arteries after Angioplasty cleared them of clogs. The first stents were made of bare metal. The drug-coated versions release medication to stop restenosis, a regrowth of cells that can create a new blockage. Soon after drug-coated stents hit the market, doctors began seeing heart attacks and sudden deaths caused by clots forming inside the devices.

Researchers found that clotting problems were twice as likely to happen with drug-coated stents as with bare-metal ones. However, a longer-term analysis showed no significant difference three years after surgery. 

Which stent is right for you? The Harvard Heart Letter suggests that a drug-coated stent might be a good choice if the anatomy of the affected artery makes it prone to restenosis; if you aren’t planning any surgery in the next year; and if you’re good about taking medications. (People with drug-coated stents need to take medicine to prevent clotting for a year or more.) A bare-metal stent might be better if you might need surgery soon or if you can’t afford the medications.

Also in this issue:
• Warning signs of heart failure
• Beta blockers and blood pressure
• An in-depth look at Echocardiograms
• Warfarin home monitoring
• Home defibrillators
• Ask the Doctor: Fainting when giving blood; high morning blood pressure

The Harvard Heart Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $28 per year.

Source: Harvard Health Publications

RELATED STORIES:
Fat Outside of Arteries May Influence Onset of Coronary Artery Disease   Hard Arteries More Likely with Diabetes   Normalizing tumor blood vessels improves delivery of only the smallest nanomedicines   Losing belly fat, whether from a low-carb or a low-fat diet, helps improve blood vessel function   Stenting for stroke prevention becoming safer in high-risk patients   Risk factors for CCSVI are similar to risk factors for developing MS, UB study shows   Exercise may be better than stents for PAD patients   Protein causes varicose veins   Use of sulodexide in patients with peripheral vascular disease   Scientists discover the proteins that control development of varicose veins   International Consortium Identifies 5 New Genes Affecting The Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease   Study shows soy protein reduced progression of clogged arteries in women within 5 years of menopause

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

My doctor told me I didnt have a choice of stents I need to o many of them , consequently I had a quintuple by pass

posted by Health Care Careers on 08/06/2008 at 12:37 am -08:00