About this topic
You had a coronary stent placed in a vessel that takes blood to your heart muscle. You may have had a heart attack, heart failure, or chest pain before the procedure. This means you had a narrowed or blocked blood vessel. A stent will help keep a blood vessel open. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- If you can walk up and down stairs
- When you can exercise
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex
- Be sure to wash your hands before and after touching your wound or dressing.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. You may need more tests or a change in your drugs.
- You may need to go to a special heart rehab program. This will help you get well more quickly and improve your heart function.
What drugs may be needed?
Take your drugs as ordered by your doctor. Do not skip doses or stop taking your drugs. You should keep taking them, even if you feel better. Also, avoid taking any other drugs unless you have already checked them with your doctor. These include over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and herbal supplements. Always check with your doctor first. ‚
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Thin the blood
- Help with pain
- Help your heart
Will physical activity be limited?
You may have to limit your activity. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
Eat a heart healthy diet. Ask your doctor or dietitian about a proper food plan. Stay away from fatty foods and fast food. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Internal bleeding or bleeding at the cut site
- Damage to the blood vessel
- Allergic reaction or kidney failure from the dye used
- Blood clot in the stent
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Death
- The arteries become blocked again. This is called restenosis.
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
These may help keep your heart problem from getting worse: ‚
- Keep a healthy weight.
- Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.
- Work with your doctor to control your cholesterol level and blood pressure.
- Eat a healthy diet low in saturated fats and salt.
- Limit how much beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol) you drink.
- Exercise as advised by your doctor.
- If you have diabetes, control your blood sugars with diet, exercise, drugs, and insulin as directed by your doctor.
- Manage stress through techniques like meditation, yoga, or tai chi.
- Ask your doctor what else you can do or change to live a healthier life.
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack or stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
- Signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Signs of infection. These include fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Arm, hand, leg, or foot is numb, painful, swollen, cool, or looks a different color
- Fainting or feel very tired
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have signs of a heart attack or stroke.
Where can I learn more?
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ‚
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stents/ ‚
NHS Choices ‚
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-angioplasty/pages/introduction.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚