Cardiac patients may not always take care to live their lives optimally following their stent implant. However, one has to continue to be very careful about one's cardiac health following a stent implant.

Cardiac patients may not always take care to live their lives optimally following their stent implant. However, one has to continue to be very careful about one?s cardiac health following a stent implant. Associate Profesor Şevket Görgülü, a cardiologist at Acıbadem Kocaeli Hospital makes the following comment, "When patients receive a stent implant, they think their heart has been totally reset. They continue to drink alcohol, smoke and eat poorly. They do not exercise. The truth is, by continuing their negligent life style, cardiac patients only increase their chances of a heart attack".

Stating that cardiovascular patients always fall under the high risk group, Associate Professor Görgülü points out that the risk for those patients of suffering a heart attack, developing a cardiovascular disease, experiencing progression of disease, dying of a heart attack or brain stroke within a period of 10 years is 20 per cent or higher. Associate Professor Görgülü advises caution for those patients who have stent implants and makes the following recommendations:

• Try to keep your blood glucose level at 100 mg/dl
• Keep your Hemoglobulin A1C value below 7 per cent
• Make sure your bad cholesterol (LDL) value remains below 100
• Make an effort to keep your systolic blood pressure below 120 mmHg
• Get rid of your extra weight with the help of a medical nutritional programme and regular exercise
• Quit smoking as soon as possible so you may maintain your vascular health
• Take care to exercise regularly so you may help keep your weight, blood pressure and blood values under control

STENT IS A PRIORITY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK
Pointing out that balloon angioplasty and stent implants need to be performed on those patients who have suffered a heart attack, Associate Professor Görgülü says that when these methods are performed during the actual attack, they prolong the life of the patient. Otherwise, it is necessary to examine the complaints of the patient in order to understand whether or not he/she is suitable for a stent implant. The decision to implant a stent depends on the extent of the stenosis observed in the cardiac vessels and whether or not it causes a significant problem. Significant stenosis of the cardiac vessels expresses itself in chest compressions, a sensation of pressure and burning and pain spreading towards the throat and the left arm. Once stable angina pectoris has been identified, if there is significant stenosis, if the patient is rejecting medication treatment and if complaints remain the same in spite of medication treatment, then it is time to intervene. Explaining that such cases usually require stent implant, Associate Professor Görgülü says the following: "If we cannot achieve adequate enlargement of the vessel with the balloon, or if the balloon causes vascular ruptures, then it becomes necessary to use a stent after the balloon. If the vessel is too narrow for a stent to pass through, we enlarge it with a balloon first and later implant a stent to prevent yet another stenosis. The stenosis of the vessel has to be above 70 per cent. If we are of the opinion that the procedure we are going to be performing will help alleviate the complaints, then we go ahead and perform the procedure."

There are, of course, some cases where we should avoid stents. If the stenosis is not significant and this has been observed to be the case in angiography, then we should not be performing a stent implant. Apart from this, Associate Professor Görgülü says that they avoid stent in the case of those patients who reject the idea: "The patient may previously have had a stent implant which has not helped reduce his/her complaints However, the present condition of the patient may necessitate a stent implant. In these cases, one has to take care to explain to the patient the absolute necessity of the situation. Once we explain the risks and the advantages and inform the patient, it is best to let the patient decide for himself". Emphasising that stent implants should not be performed on those patients who do not have significant vessel stenosis, Associate Professor Görgülü says they also avoid performing stent implants on very tiny vessels.

Please Click here to request more information from The Acibadem Health Group.