Stent how long

More research and clinical trials need to be done to determine how durable and effective stenting is in this anatomy. A research review suggested that peripheral stents in your legs are more likely to fail than other types of stents. Many people who have peripheral stents placed end up needing new stents or other artery-opening procedures within 1 or 2 years of stent placement.

This need might be because these stents are under added pressure in this anatomy. The chances of your arteries re-narrowing are increased because of the movement of your vessels when you:. Research is being done to determine how to best address the concern. However, a research review showed that DESs are less likely to re-narrow.

So, while the stents themselves will last the same amount of time, you may have fewer complications with a DES. The medication in a DES prevents scar tissue buildup. It will not treat the underlying condition that caused your artery to narrow.

Restenosis happens when a treated artery narrows again. ISR is rare but can happen during the healing process as your damaged artery regrows around the stent and forms scar tissue. This excess scar tissue can narrow your artery and reduce blood flow. ISR almost always happens within the first 6 to 9 months after stent placement but can also happen at later times, sometimes presenting even many years later.

Symptoms of ISR happen gradually as the scar tissue continues to form. You should make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible if you start noticing any of these symptoms. They will determine if you have ISR and how to treat it. ISR can be treated by inserting another stent or with balloon angioplasty. IST happens when a blood clot forms in your stent. IST is always a medical emergency. Symptoms of an IST are severe because the entire artery may be closed.

If the stent is in a coronary artery, this can lead to a heart attack. You must seek emergency medical care if you have heart attack symptoms. A stent is a tube that your doctor inserts into a blocked passageway, such as a blood vessel, to keep it open. A cardiac stent is used to treat narrowed coronary arteries.

For the first five days, do only light activities. Walking, climbing stairs and taking care of routine activities are usually fine. After five days, your doctor will likely say you can resume moderate activities, but you should avoid over-exertion that leads to shortness of breath, tiredness or chest pain. Wait until three to four weeks before lifting heavy objects or doing strenuous exercise.

Get clearance from your doctor before very strenuous activity or manual labor. Once you leave the hospital, your post-procedure care will be two-fold. You will need to take care of yourself by taking medications exactly as prescribed, as well as making lifestyle changes such as exercising, improving your diet and quitting smoking if you smoke. You should also have at least one follow-up appointment with your treating interventional cardiologist or another qualified specialist if you are not able to return to your treating physician.

At this appointment, your interventional cardiologist will examine the catheter insertion site to be sure it is healing properly. Occasionally, your doctor may also ask you to take an exercise stress test three to six weeks after your procedure. The results of the test will help guide your doctor in recommending an appropriate level of activity for you. The results may lead to a recommendation that you enroll in an exercise program supervised by health professionals. Supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs are designed to help you build a stronger heart and reduce risk factors for more blocked arteries in the future.

To learn more about angioplasty and stents, including when this procedure is recommended and how it is performed, click here. Find an Interventional Cardiologist. Heart Condition Centers. Depending on the hospital or radiology practice where you are having the procedure done, you may be required to fast before the procedure that means to go without food and water for 4 hours prior to the procedure.

The hospital or radiology practice will inform you if you need to fast. Contrast medium is used to carry out angiograms, and if you have a history of kidney disease, this places some strain on the kidneys. If you have abnormal kidney function or diabetes, one kidney rather than two, or other medical conditions that may increase the risk to your kidney function if you have contrast injection, then special precautions are required. One of these precautions can be to give you extra fluid through an intravenous drip both before and after the procedure.

This should be discussed with your referring doctor or specialist and the radiologist who is carrying out the procedure. The procedure is usually not painful, but it is normal to be anxious before undergoing any procedure and you will normally be given a light sedation to help you relax.

The risks of the procedure depend on which artery is being treated. General risks include the following:.

The procedure re-opens the artery to restore blood flow. The benefits provided by this restoration of blood flow depend on the artery being treated. In the kidney arteries, it might help reduce abnormally high blood pressure or preserve kidney function. When carried out on an artery supplying the bowel, it may stop abdominal pain if this pain is due to reduced blood supply to the bowel.

When carried out on the carotid artery supplying the brain , it may prevent stroke. The procedure is carried out by a radiologist. A radiologist is a specialist doctor who has extra training to allow for the use of X-ray equipment to carry out interventional procedures like angioplasty and stent insertion. A radiographer is a trained health professional who helps the radiologist to operate the imaging equipment.

Special radiology nurses also assist the radiologist to complete the procedure and to care for you.