Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates
52 Tom Miller Rd., Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518) 563-2404
www.lccahearts.com
Good Stent, Bad Stent
Stents are used frequently today to treat people with heart problems. Stents are tiny slotted metal tubes (1” X 1/8”) inserted into an artery in the heart through a catheter. They help keep arteries open during balloon angioplasty and reduce the risk of needing emergency bypass surgery, protect people who are having heart attacks, and decrease angina (chest pain). Most people who have a balloon angioplasty now will receive one or more stents.
There are two kinds of stents – regular (bare metal) stents, and medicated (or coated) stents. Coated stents reduce the risk of repeat narrowing. Bare metal stents cost about $1,400 each, while coated stents cost about $2,100.
While stents are extremely useful, there is an important downside to their use. Specifically, there is a small risk that stents will become blocked by a blood clot. This can be a catastrophe often leading to a major heart attack or death.
To reduce the chances of a blood clot developing, it is essential that patients take a combination of aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix). Depending on the type of stent used, it is essential to stay on both aspirin and clopidogrel for anywhere from one to twelve months, or longer. Patients with a stent must talk with their heart doctor before stopping either aspirin or clopidogrel, even if another doctor has recommended stopping these medicines. Sadly, we have seen some cases of heart attacks and even deaths because people stopped their medication without speaking to their heart doctors first.