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Heart's savior: How coronary stents can change the fate of heart disease patients?
With the advancement of modern medical technology, coronary stents have gradually become an important savior for heart disease patients. These small, tube-like devices are placed in the coronary arteries and are designed to keep the blood vessels open and help the heart get an adequate blood supply. Today, as cardiovascular diseases become increasingly serious, the use of coronary stents can not only reduce angina pectoris, but also significantly improve the survival rate of patients and reduce the sequelae of cardiac emergencies.
"The use of coronary stents has changed the landscape of clinical cardiology, with many patients able to return to normal lives after receiving this treatment."
Medical applications of coronary stents
Coronary stents are mainly implanted through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Doctors consider stent surgery when a patient has had a heart attack or has symptoms of long-term narrowing of the coronary arteries.
The procedure generally involves sending a catheter containing a stent and a balloon into the coronary arteries of the heart through a peripheral artery (such as an artery in the arm or leg), and then fixing the stent into the narrowed blood vessel by expanding the balloon. Although the procedure may cause some discomfort, most patients can remain awake under local anesthesia.
“Stents can help expand coronary arteries blocked by arteriosclerosis, a technology that has developed rapidly over the past few decades.”
Recovery and rehabilitation process
Most patients who receive a stent do not require a prolonged hospital stay after surgery. The patient's initial recovery process mainly involves monitoring the catheter insertion site for bleeding, and will also use equipment such as electrocardiograms for monitoring. To prevent blood clots from forming, the medical team will immediately administer anticoagulants, usually drugs such as clopidogrel (Plavix).
Patients will feel local pain and congestion after surgery, and these usually improve gradually in about a week. In the following weeks, patients need to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercise to allow the surgical wound to heal. Regular follow-up exams are critical to monitoring heart health.
Potential risks and surgical considerations
Although complications from coronary stenting are relatively rare, patients may still be exposed to a variety of risks, including irregular heartbeats, bleeding, and stent restenosis. Restenosis is particularly problematic, which can occur when scar tissue formed by the stent causes the blood vessel to narrow again.
"Many clinical studies have confirmed that coronary stenting can reduce the occurrence of acute cardiac events, but in patients with stable angina, the life-prolonging effect of stent placement is still questionable compared with optimal medical therapy."
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New progress in research
As time goes by, the medical community continues to conduct in-depth research on coronary stents. In patients with acute coronary syndromes, stent revascularization significantly helps reduce mortality and complications. However, its effectiveness in patients with stable coronary artery disease still needs to be further explored.
As demonstrated in the COURAGE trial, coronary stenting did not show a significant improvement in survival among patients with stable angina receiving optimal medical therapy. In addition, the SYNTAX trial also pointed out that the efficacy of stent and bypass surgery is similar in some cases, but the latter has different surgical risks.
Historical evolution
The history of coronary stents can be traced back to 1972, when Dr. Robert A. Ersek was first patented. With the advancement of science and technology, today's stent designs are developing towards biocompatible materials and absorbable stents to further reduce the impact on the human body.
All in all, coronary stents have undoubtedly brought hope and new life to many heart disease patients, who are able to face life's challenges more easily. However, we should also think deeply, besides the stent technology itself, what other ways can further improve the quality of life of heart disease patients?
