With the growing poor lifestyle choices, heart diseases have become quite common in India. Also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), Angioplasty is a technique to open blocked blood vessels around the heart. In this surgical procedure, our doctors reinstate blood flow to the muscles without open heart surgery and also specialise in placing stents during or after Angioplasty to prevent any future risk of re-blockage.

A stent is a tiny and expandable metal mesh coil that prevents the arteries from narrowing again. Medical experts may or may not coat the stent with medicine depending on the patient’s affinity to bleeding. The medication in the stent helps to prevent any further formation of tissue inside the stent and the closing of the artery again.

Like every other procedure, Heart Stent surgery also has its set of pre-procedure preparations that the patient should follow. Let us go through them once.

Pre-procedure Preparations

• Drink Lots of Fluids:- Contrast dyes are used by medical professionals to pinpoint the exact area of heart blockage. Drinking lots of fluids helps expel those dyes out of your system before they harm the kidneys. You might also be admitted to the hospital a few days prior to the surgery if you suffer from kidney ailments.
• Fasting:- You should consult your doctor to heed any advice on food consumption. Normally patients are recommended to fast 6-8 hours before the operation.
• Avoid Certain Medications:- You should also avoid anti-coagulation or blood-thinning medications. Consult with our team of heart surgeons, as they may suggest you stop ibuprofen, naproxen, and garlic supplements. You might also be asked to temporarily stop your diabetes medicines as these might cause low sugar levels in the blood during the treatment.
• Blood test:- Your heart team might advise you to get a blood test to check the duration taken for the blood to clot.
• Prescription of a Sedative:- Healthcare professionals might prescribe you a sedative to help you relax.
• Consume the Prescribed Medications:- The doctors will prescribe certain medications that you will have to consume with small sips of water before the procedure.
• Report any Anomalies:- You need to inform the concerned doctor if you are pregnant or think that you could be. You should also notify of any over-the-counter medications that you are consuming. You should also report if you have any body piercings on the chest or belly. Apart from that, a report of previous heart medical history should also be provided to the doctor.

Benefits of the Procedure

Over the years, Heart Stent surgery has emerged as an alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Here are some benefits of the procedure:-

• Shorter hospital stay
• Alternative to CABG
• No major complications
• Patients do not need general anaesthesia
• Improves blood flow to the heart
• Improves systems of heart disease such as chest pain or shortness of breath
• Most benefits are experienced immediately
• Reduces chances of a future heart attack

Eligibility

You are eligible for receiving a Heart Stent surgery if:-

• Only one or two arteries are narrowed.
• Artery blockage is moderate to severe.
• Have stable angina with persistent and intolerable symptoms.
• Have a high risk of heart attack or death.
• Your body has stopped responding to medications and lifestyle changes.
• Coronary Angiogram:- Apart from this, your doctor will also perform an imaging test known as a coronary angiogram. Your eligibility will be decided based on the results of the test.

Who is not eligible?

If you have multiple blockages, then the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure might be more useful than the Heart Stent surgical procedure. Moreover, if you have kidney ailments, then the injected dies during blockage examination might affect you adversely.

If medications are effective, then also you shouldn’t get Angioplasty. If your arteries are too small, there is complete blockage, or mild to moderate blockage with no symptoms, even then, our medical team will advise you against the procedure and provide you with a better alternative.

As we have seen, an Angioplasty or heart stent procedure is an effective treatment against Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). We at Metro Hospitals deploy state-of-the-art technologies and the best team of heart doctors to successfully perform the operation. We always follow the patient-centric approach and provide pre and post-operative care under the supervision of expert & board-certified doctors.