Placing a heart ring (heart stent) is one of the most common effective treatments for coronary heart disease. However, lifestyle changes are still needed to be able to recover from coronary heart disease.
Generally, you will be advised to do a heart ring when your coronary arteries are filled with a lot of plaque, thereby blocking the flow of blood vessels. This condition is usually caused by cholesterol and other substances that stick to the artery walls.
Besides being used to treat coronary heart disease, a heart ring is also used to improve blood flow in cases of a heart attack.
Procedure for inserting a heart ring
A heart ring or stent is a small tube that is inserted to open the blockage in blood flow, so that blood flow is no longer obstructed. The stent can be made of plastic or metal and can also be coated with medication to keep the artery open.
The heart ring insertion procedure begins by injecting a local anesthetic into the area where the catheter will be inserted. Usually a catheter is inserted through a vein in the groin, arm, or neck.
After that, the doctor will insert a catheter with a stent and balloon at the end, into the narrowed coronary artery. The catheter is directed using a monitor and a special dye as a guide. When the catheter is in the narrowed or blocked area, the balloon inside the stent will expand, followed by widening of the coronary artery wall.
Once the blockage in the coronary artery is cleared and blood flow is back, the doctor will deflate the balloon and remove the catheter. However, the stent is left in the coronary artery to keep blood flowing there and prevent further damage to your heart muscle.
Care after Insertion of the Heart Ring
Generally, the process of installing a heart ring only takes 1-3 hours. However, during the preparation and recovery process, you will need to stay in the hospital for several days.
During the recovery period, you are advised to drink plenty of water. To overcome the pain in the incision, the doctor will give pain relievers. In addition, anticoagulant drugs may also be given to prevent clots or blood clots from forming in the stent.
In addition, you will be asked to limit all physical activity, including driving a motor vehicle. You are also recommended to carry out daily activities slowly and gradually, for at least one week after undergoing surgery.
Benefits and Risks of Placing a Heart Ring
Installing a heart ring, of course, has a positive impact, namely it can improve the quality of life of people with coronary heart disease.
In some cases, heart rings can also be an alternative solution to coronary bypass surgery, because heart rings are much less invasive than bypass surgery. In addition, the recovery time with a heart ring is also much faster, compared to bypass surgery.
However, pairs of heart rings also have a number of risks, such as blood clots, heart attacks, drug allergies, blood vessel infections, and narrowing of blood vessels again.
Although there are risks, the choice not to undergo heart ring installation surgery will generally have a more fatal effect than some of the risks above. Because, the narrowing of blood vessels that are not handled properly will eventually have a more serious impact, and can even lead to death.
In addition to installing a heart ring, you also still have to maintain a good and balanced lifestyle, such as:
- Quit smoking.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Controlling cholesterol levels, diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Exercise regularly.
In order to get a complete picture of the procedure for inserting a heart ring, it is recommended that you consult a cardiologist. It is important to prepare all the necessary things, including physical and mental preparation before, during, and after the insertion of the heart ring.