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The American Heart Association defines a stent procedure as follows:
"A stent is a wire metal mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty. The stent is collapsed to a small diameter and put over a balloon catheter. It's then moved into the area of the blockage. When the balloon is inflated the stent expands, locks in place and forms a scaffold. This holds the artery open. The stent stays in the artery permanently, holds it open, improves blood flow to the heart muscle and will relieves symptoms (usually chest pain) within a few weeks of the time the stent is placed the inside lining of the artery grows over the metal surface of the stent." The stent placed in your body is permanent and the procedure and the stent itself can have many lingering medical complications (i.e., stent complications).
According to the American Heart Association stents are used depending on the features of your particular arteries blockage. This includes the size of your artery and where the blockage in your artery is. Stenting is a fairly common procedure, and, according to the AMHA seventy percent of all angioplasty procedures result in the placement of a stent.
CLICK HERE TO SEE AN ANIMATION OF A STENTING PROCEDURE {hyperlink}.
American Heart Association definition of Stent Procedure.
Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when not enough blood is flowing to an area of the heart. Angina may feel like pressure or squeezing in the chest. Pain can also occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina may lead your physician to order a cardiac stress test or cardiac catheterization.
American Heart Association definition of Angina.
Over time, a fatty substance called plaque can build up in the heart's arteries, which causes the arteries to harden and narrow. This condition is called atherosclerosis. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis often cause stenosis.
American Heart Association definition of Atherosclerosis.
The American Heart Association describes a cardiac catherization as a procedure to examine blood flow to the heart to test how well the heart is pumping. A doctor will insert a thin plastic tube commonly called a catheter into an artery or vein in the arm or leg. From there, the catheter is advanced into your heart or your coronary arteries. The cardiac catherization is able to measure blood pressure within the heart and the amount of oxygen that is in your blood stream. However, the main purpose of the cardiac catherdization is to determine information concerning how your heart is pumping and the ability of your heart muscle. When a doctor injects dye through a cardiac catherization it is refereed to as coronary angiography. Catheters used in a stenting procedure will be attached with a balloon on them and this process is known as coronany angioplasty. The cardiac catherization procedure allows the doctor to not only place a stent but take pictures of the arteries angiogram.
Review of your angiogram (video of your stent procedure) will determine if the amount of blockage in your arteries required the placement of the stent and if it did not we will help you pursue your legal rights.
American Heart Association definition of Cardiac Catheterization.
A cardiac stress test is also known as a treadmill test. During a cardiac stress test or treadmill test, a patient is hooked up to a number of electrocardiogram (ECG) leads and is asked to exert him or herself. During the test, the physician or health care provider monitors the heart levels reported on the ECG.
American Heart Association definition of Cardiac Stress Test.
A coronary angiogram is special x-ray test of the heart. After a patient has undergone catherization, a dye is injected through the catheter and into the vessel and arteries of the heart. An interventional cardiologist watches the angiogram in real time as the dye shoots into the arteries. Dye that is prematurely stopped in an artery typically represents stenosis. There are several interventions available for stenosis. If the stenosis is severe, it may require a stent.
American Heart Association definition of Coronary Angiography.
Coronary angioplasty (AN-jee-oh-plas-tee) is a procedure used to open blocked or narrowed coronary (heart) arteries. The procedure improves blood flow to the heart muscle. During angioplasty, a small balloon is expanded inside the coronary artery to relieve the blockage. Angioplasty may involve placement of stent.
American Heart Association definition of Coronary Angioplasty.
Coronary artery disease , which can also be called coronary heart disease, is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. Coronary artery disease, or coronary heart disease, is often synonymous with atheroscelrosis. When coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, blood has trouble reaching your heart muscle. This can cause angina or a heart attack.
American Heart Association definition of Coronary Heart Disease.
An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart. An EKG translates the heart's electrical activity into line tracings on paper. The spikes and dips in the line tracings are called waves. The waves, which reflect cardiac activity, can indicate whether the heart is beating properly. An EKG or ECG can be used to make a preliminary diagnosis of coronary artery disease, which may then require a cardiac catheterization.
American Heart Association definition of Electrocardiogram.
An interventional cardiologist is a cardiologist who specializes in catheter based treatment of structural heart disease, such as stenosis. Interventional cardiology requires a separate board-certification. Here you will find a listing of the requirements needed to become board-certified in interventional cardiologist courtesy of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Stenosis is the narrowing of an artery or vessel. Stenosis in a cardiac setting describes the narrowing of one of the arteries in the heart. Severe stenosis may require the placement of a stent, a small and thin mesh-like tubal structure that is used to open the narrowed vessel.
Re-stenosis often occurs after a stent is placed. Re-stenosis is simply a re-narrowing of the artery after angioplasty.
American Heart Association definition of Stenosis.
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