Stents, which are helpful in opening the coronary artery vein, makes it possible to enlarge the narrowed passage for the free flow of the blood to the heart. Angioplasty is a procedure through which the doctor will place the stent at the desired position in the artery.
What is the Importance of Stent?
People showing signs of chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, and weakness can approach a cardiologist to check whether they are suffering from any underlying heart ailments. To check for the ailments, the cardiologist will carry out the angiogram through which they will understand the blood flow to the heart. The process will also display the narrowness in the heart, making it easy for the doctor to choose the appropriate action.
Depending on the condition, the doctor will go ahead with the angioplasty, where he/she will place the stent at the desired artery wall that narrows the passage and helps in increasing the flow of blood to the heart.
Are All Stents Metal?
Majority of the stents available today are of stainless steel metal in the form of a mesh that expands and maintain the position. Due to this, the person receives the needed flow of blood to the heart that carries both oxygen and nutrients.
In most of the cases, cardiologists opt for metal stents, as they have a longer life and helps the patient avoid re-occurrence from the possible narrowness of the artery vein in the future.
Apart from the metal stents, new material stents are available, where the body absorbs it after a given period. During this time, the stent ensures to maintain the narrowness in the artery vein while providing the necessary blood circulation to the heart. Although not much of information is available on how these are useful in prolonging the life of the patient, doctors tend to opt for these depending on individual cases. They consider the age of the patient, the lifestyle, other illnesses, criticalities involved, and food habits before they arrive at the decision of choosing either the metal stent or the new material stent that the body can absorb.
There is also another stent consisting of medicine that helps in curing the plague that is blocking the arteries. The medicine is present both inside and outside of the stent. As time passes by, the medicine cures the illness and makes sure that there is a decrease in the narrowness of the artery. The body will absorb the stent over the period and is useful for patients who show the symptoms of coronary artery diseases in the beginning stages.
The doctor will provide the treatment and also ensure that they follow a lifestyle change that will guarantee the non-occurrence of the narrowness of the coronary artery vein. If a patient fails to follow the instructions as provided by the doctor, there are high chances that the patient will return within a year to proceed with an alternative treatment.
Future Expectations
Technology is rapidly increasing in all the fields. It has become possible for doctors to come up with stents that might provide a permanent relief in the future. Currently, there are several types of research carried out in this regard making it only one step closer to finding the best material for the stent that ensures safety as well as cures the illness that the person is suffering from.
Although all these are available, it is also necessary that the patient follows the instruction guidelines provided by the doctor and makes changes to the lifestyle and food habits. These little changes in the placement of the stent will guarantee prolonged lifespan.
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