Think Stent. Ask Five.

Globally Recognized Bodies

Globally one of the most recognized and stringent regulatory bodies for medical devices is United States Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA).  Conformité Européene (CE) is another globally recognized regulatory body. These regulatory bodies certify a device or medicine after its efficacy and safety is proven through stringent tests and clinical studies. There is local body named Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) which provides an approval for these devices in India. All these bodies have their own protocol and standards for approval. Please contact your physician for more information.

Life-Saving Therapy

Stent therapy is an established life-saving therapy; however there is no sure way to prevent a recurrence of symptoms and to keep the arteries open without any adverse reactions like re-clotting or blockade. This is because human anatomy is complex and several other factors (like discipline in following post therapy medication, choice of heart healthy lifestyle, etc) can modify the risk of re-narrowing and lead to future complications and repeat procedures.

Clinical trials have confirmed a reduction of as much as 50% to 70% in need for a repeat procedure by drug eluting stent (DES) over bare metal stent (BMS)¹

Therefore one should check for drug eluting stents (DES) that are well studied and have shown excellent safety and efficacy results in large patient populations (at least more than 5,000 patients) with different complexities and tested under a variety of clinical situations. Seek your interventional cardiologist’s guidance on the choice of your DES.

¹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26154294?report=docsum

Stents for Diabetic Patients

Studies² have shown that patients with diabetes mellitus have a less favorable clinical outcome at one year after successful stent placement as compared to the nondiabetic patients. The clinical follow-up was characterized by a higher incidence of death, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and re-interventions. Diabetic patients also demonstrated an increased risk for restenosis. People with diabetes are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease or suffer a stroke. In fact, CAD is the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes.

Few DES have been evaluated in people with diabetes and have been approved by the USFDA as safe and effective treatment options for this patient population. For more details you may contact your physician.

^{2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4933531/}

Managing Re-Occurence of Symptoms

Once the stent is implanted and pressed against the artery wall, it will remain there permanently. Tissue will grow over the stent and hold it in place so it will not move.

Yes, it is possible that you may experience symptoms again, either due to a re-blockage in the artery with the stent or a new blockage in a different heart artery. Notify your doctor if you have recurring symptoms.

While there is no sure way to prevent a recurrence of symptoms, you can reduce your risk through exercise, not smoking and adopting a healthy diet. Your doctor can advise you about lifestyle changes.