What is a Heart Stent Operation

Heart blockage is a local blocking or narrowing in the arterial network of the body by accumulated deposits of plaque which is mostly bad cholesterol. Every artery in the body is a blood pipeline. These pipelines get blocked with accumulation of bad cholesterol. At such times, a heart surgery using stents is carried out by doctors to open up these closed pipelines and make the blood flow possible again.

I am sure you are curious to know what is a heart stent operation? Stents are thin wire metal meshes of stainless steel that keep the heart pipes which are the arteries, open when they are surgically placed in the right position. They are used in angioplasty and bypass surgeries of the heart. Heart stent surgery is a technological wonder that has helped prolong the life of countless heart disease victims.

Heart Surgery Using Stents
What is a heart stent operation? Let's try and understand how this advanced surgical procedure is carried out in detail. When a cardiologist suspects blockage in blood circulation network or narrowing of arteries, he carries out an angiography procedure. This angiography procedure is an X-ray imaging technique which gives a clear image of all the arteries. By observing the angiogram, the doctor can exactly ascertain and locate the presence of any heart blockage or narrowing of arteries.

The angiography procedure is carried out by first inserting a very narrow guidance line through the femoral artery in the thigh, from where it is progressively inserted to the desired location. By desired location, we mean the part of the network that has to be imaged. After that, a catheter is inserted along the guidance line to that point and a x-ray opaque dye is inserted. The dye spreads with the blood flow in that local region. Then a detailed x-ray image is created and a blockage if any is spotted and marked. The catheter is removed but the guidance line stays in the location. Hereafter the angioplasty procedure begins. A balloon catheter is inserted with a customized collapsed stent wrapped over it. When the catheter reaches the position of arterial blockage, the balloon is inflated and the stent gets expanded and placed firmly, keeping the artery open at that point. This is the conclusion of the angioplasty procedure. Sometimes multiple stents need to be inserted due to multiple blockages.

Risks from Heart Stents
There are two types of stents. One type is known as a bare stent which is made up of 316 L type stainless steel. The problem with the placement of stents is that they are foreign objects and therefore there may be heart stent side effects in the body. They trigger an immune response from the body causing platelet accumulation at the stent site. This is taken care of by lifelong intake of aspirin and intake of 'Clopidogrel' for 6 months after the procedure. Still the scarring left by the stents does cause problems and there is renarrowing of the arteries at the site of the stent.

To prevent this, drug-coated stents were developed that prevent the accumulation of arterial tissue over the stent and suppress immune response against it. Heart stent surgery using these drug-coated stents is widely done nowadays. However, this leaves the stent bare inside the artery and has known to be the cause of blood clots in some case studies. Hence the patient has to use blood thinning, anti-blood clotting drugs indefinitely which cause additional side effects. These side effects include gastrointestinal bleeding and strokes. So stents are life savers but they also come with their share of risks.

The technology of stents is used sparingly and only in extreme situations where no other alternative is available. Heart blockage and stents are thus inevitably related.

How Long Does a Heart Stent Last?
There is no fixed life of a stent. A lot depends on how your body responds to its presence, your medical dosage, diet, medical history and your lifestyle. They have been known to last for up to 15 years after which one may require a heart stent replacement. Stents for heart operation come with their share of risks. So, post surgery, regular monitoring of heart condition by a physician is advised.

Take care of your heart through regular exercise and a healthy diet. That may go a long way in preventing such extreme measures like heart surgeries to be required in the first place!

Hope this article has given you an idea about what is a heart stent operation, the risks and side-effects from heart stents.