Are stents effective in reducing chance of another heart attack?


 

Stents are required after a person suffers a heart attack.

Stents are nothing but tiny mesh tubes inserted to keep arteries open after the angioplasty.

Drug-eluting stents also known as DES prevent a coronary artery from narrowing again.

They are coated with medicine that prevents scar tissue from growing into the artery.

DES releases a drug gradually from their outer coating to aid in preventing blockage at the particular place in the heart.

Hence, these stents are preferred over Bare-metal stent which are without a coating or covering.

The recent DES is termed to be at least as safe as BMS. 

However, blood vessels could again get blocked after stent placement.

In case of bare metal stents, post implantation as the blood vessel heals over period of time, tissue begins to grow around the stent.

In some cases, scar tissue overgrowth can lead to again re-blockage of arteries.

Therefore if the DES stents are used, they avoid plaque formation, maintaining a proper blood flow.

Another important aspect is to regularly take blood-thinning medicines to avoid blood clot formation in the stent and prevent the blood vessel from getting blocked again.

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