Coronary Stent
Placement

A stent is a small metal coil or mesh tube that is placed in a narrowed artery to hold it open, which helps improve blood flow to your heart. The stent also helps reduce the rate of restenosis (re-narrowing) of the artery. Some stents slowly release medication over a period of time. This reduces the amount of scar tissue that forms inside the artery, helping to prevent restenosis.

During the Procedure

• A stent, which comes mounted on a balloon-tipped catheter, is delivered to the blockage in your artery.
• The balloon is then inflated, causing the stent to expand.
• The expanded stent further compresses the plaque against the arterial wall, increasing the blood flow to the heart muscle.

After the Procedure

• You may need to keep still, with your leg or arm straight, for 2-6 hours. How long depends partly on where the catheter was inserted and how the site was closed.
• If the insertion site was in your groin, you may need to lie down with your leg still for several hours.
• A nurse will check your blood pressure and the insertion site.
• You may be asked to drink fluid to help flush the contrast liquid out of your system.
• Have someone drive you home from the hospital.
• It’s normal to find a small bruise or lump at the insertion site. This should disappear within a few weeks.

When to Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following:

• Angina (a feeling of pain, pressure, aching, tingling, or burning in the chest, back, neck, throat, jaw, arms, or shoulders).
• Increasing pain, swelling, redness, bleeding, or drainage at the insertion site
• Severe pain, coldness, or a bluish color in the leg or arm that held the catheter
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty urinating or blood in your urine
• Fever over 101 F.