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How to Stay Heart Healthy With Your Stent: Frequently Asked Questions

You've likely undergone a stenting procedure because you have experienced a heart event, such as a heart attack or heart-related chest pain (angina). It's important to learn about your condition and heart health as you are on the road to recovery. This guide will allow you to play an informed and active role in maintaining a healthy heart and may help reduce the risk of having a future heart event or blood clot. If you have questions or concerns, you should speak with your cardiologist or primary care physician.

Q. What is a stent?
A. A stent is a small metal scaffold that looks like a spring or coil. A stent is implanted during angioplasty to keep open a coronary artery that was blocked thereby restoring blood flow in the heart.3
Q. How long will it take to recover from the stent procedure?
A. Most stent patients go home after one to two days after having angioplasty.133 A full recovery from the procedure is typically one week or less.133

However, the entire healing process of the treated vascular segment, where a stent was implanted, takes several months.29 This process involves growth of coronary vessel tissues to entirely cover the implanted metal stent. That is why it is important that patients take their prescribed oral antiplatelet (OAP), along with other medications prescribed by their doctor.68

Q. Will a stent fix my clogged artery and improve my heart health?
A. Actually, while having a stent procedure is intended to open up a blocked artery and restore blood flow to the heart, it does not mean your heart is fixed or “as good as new.” In fact, many people who have had a stent have coronary artery disease elsewhere. Getting a stent is the beginning of a new treatment regimen that you must maintain to reduce the chances of plaque buildup and future clots in your arteries. One important part of this treatment regimen is taking prescription OAP medication plus aspirin as directed by your cardiologist. These medicines help prevent clots from forming inside the stent.72
Q. What is an OAP medication and why do I need to take it?
A. After a stenting procedure, your cardiologist will likely prescribe an OAP medication plus aspirin to help keep your blood flowing through your stent and coronary arteries.25 These medications help prevent clots from forming in your stent and may help reduce the risk of future heart attacks or events.72
Q. Why did my doctor advise taking aspirin with my OAP medication?
A. OAP medicine and aspirin have different mode of action to help keep platelets from sticking together and causing clots inside the stent and in the arteries of your heart.72 Aspirin is also a type of OAP medicine that helps protect you in a different way than your prescription OAP medicine.72
Q. How long do I have to take my OAP medication?
A. If you have a drug-eluting stent, your doctor will most likely prescribe you an OAP medication for at least 12 months after your stenting procedure.72 Your cardiologist will advise you about which prescription OAP medication to take, your daily dosage and for how long you must take it. You should never stop taking your OAP medications without consulting your doctor.62
Q. Are there things that may increase my risk for another heart attack?
A. Controllable risk factors that have been shown to increase the risk of a heart attack include but are not limited to:
  • Smoking
  • High LDL, or “bad” cholesterol119
  • Low HDL, or “good” cholesterol119
  • High blood pressure119
  • Physical inactivity119
  • Obesity (more than 20 percent over one's ideal body weight)119
  • Excessive alcohol intake34
  • Diabetes119
  • Depression134
Uncontrollable risk factors that can contribute to heart disease include but are not limited to:
  • Gender (if you are male)56
  • Age (if you are older)56
  • Family history of heart disease56
  • Ethnicity56
Q. How can I reduce my risk for another heart attack?
A. Eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and quitting smoking are important ways to manage several controllable risk factors.154 Shopping for nutritious and healthy foods, using healthy cooking techniques and recipes, and making healthy ingredient choices and substitutions can improve your heart health.100 Regular exercise cannot only help you get your body moving to maintain a healthy weight, but can help strengthen your heart and lungs, improve overall circulation, increase energy, improve sleep, and much more.113

Always consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program.113
Q. What is acute coronary syndrome (ACS)?
A. This is a term used to describe a group of sudden clinical symptoms or events associated with insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle caused by a complete or partial blockage of a coronary artery. These events include a heart attack (also known as myocardial infarction), and chest pain at rest (also known as unstable angina).137
Q. What is unstable angina?
A. Unstable angina is heart-related chest pain that is unexpected and doesn't subside with rest. Unstable angina is often experienced as a feeling of uncomfortable pressure, fullness, burning, heaviness, or tightness in the the chest. People may also feel an aching or squeezing of the chest, and, or pain in the neck, jaw, back, arm, or forearm.1
Q. What is myocardial infarction?
A. The medical term for a heart attack is myocardial infarction, which occurs when the blood supply the heart muscle (the myocardium) is severely reduced or stopped.137
Q. What is percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)?
A. PCI is a term used for a surgical procedure called angioplasty. The physician makes a small incision, (in the groin area or the wrist), and inserts a narrow tube called a catheter that is threaded through an artery to the blocked heart artery. During angioplasty, a small balloon is inflated to compress and push plaque back against the artery wall. Then, the stent may be placed into narrowing to keep the artery open. This PCI procedure restores blood flow in the arteries to your heart.3
Q. I had bypass surgery. Is this the same as a stent?
A. No, bypass surgery (also known as CABG or Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) is a different surgical procedure performed in the hospital to restore blood flow to the heart. During the CABG surgery, the chest cavity is opened and blood flow is restored by bypassing damaged or blocked coronary arteries using arteries or veins taken from other parts of your body, which are called grafts.138
Q. What types of emotional support services are available to patients?
A. Support groups are a great way to connect with other people in your situation. Mended Hearts, for instance, is a national nonprofit organization that has worked with heart disease patients, their families, and caregivers for 60 years. Mended Hearts offers services to heart patients through visiting programs, support group meetings and educational forums.136 Visit www.mendedhearts.org for more information.
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