What can go wrong after a stent?

What can go wrong after a stent?

A stent can cause blood clotting, which may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute state that about 1 to 2 percent of people who have stented arteries develop a blood clot at the site of the stent. Doctors will usually prescribe one or more drugs to prevent clotting.

What should I watch after stent placement?

Increased pain, redness, swelling, bleeding, or other drainage from the insertion site. Coolness, numbness or tingling, or other changes in the affected arm or leg. Chest pain or pressure, nausea or vomiting, profuse sweating, dizziness, or fainting.

What are the signs of stent failure?

Symptoms will usually tell you if there’s a problem. If that happens, you usually have symptoms—like chest pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath. If you do have symptoms, a stress test can help your doctor see what’s going on. It can show if a blockage has returned or if there’s a new blockage.

What causes chest pain after stent placement?

“Non-ischemic chest pain develops in almost half of all patients undergoing stent implantation, and seems to be related to blood vessel over-expansion caused by the stent inside the diseased vessel.”

What are the side effects of heart stents?

Risks

• Re-narrowing of your artery. When angioplasty is combined with drug-eluting stent placement, there’s a small risk the treated artery will become clogged again.
• Blood clots. Blood clots can form within stents even after the procedure.
• Bleeding. You may have bleeding in your leg or arm where a catheter was inserted.

Do and don’ts after stent?

Avoid sexual activity for 2 to 5 days. Ask your provider when it will be OK to start again. Don’t take a bath or swim for the first week. You may take showers, but make sure the area where the catheter was inserted does not get wet for the first 24 to 48 hours.

Why am I so tired after stents?

After receiving a stent, it is normal to feel tired or a bit weak for a few days, and it’s not uncommon to experience some pain or soreness at the catheter site. If you received a stent because of a heart attack, you will likely feel tired for several weeks, Patel says.

How often do heart stents fail?

In the majority of patients (118; 78.1%), stenting was performed as provisional; in the remaining 33 (21.8%) as a bailout procedure. A total of 175 (3.3%) stents in 151 (4.3%) patients failed.

How long does it take for a stent to settle in?

In general, you can expect to return to work and normal activities in as few as three days. However, heart stent recovery time varies widely from person to person.

What causes a stent to fail?

The two major causes of stent failure are stent thrombosis (ST) and in-stent restenosis (ISR). The incidence of both has reduced considerably in recent years.

What can you not eat with a heart stent?

Cut down on sugar and salt (sodium). Limit your consumption of high-fat foods, such as red meat, cheese, and baked goods. Reduce your consumption of bad fats, which can increase the amount of harmful LDL (bad) cholesterol in your bloodstream and reduce the amount of beneficial HDL cholesterol.

What can you not do after a stent?

Avoid strenuous exercise and lifting heavy objects for at least a day afterward. Ask your doctor or nurse about other restrictions in activity. Call your doctor’s office or hospital staff immediately if: The site where your catheter was inserted starts bleeding or swelling.