Stent Placement

Angioplasty & Heart Stent Placement

When you have a narrowed coronary artery that is causing reduced blood flow to the heart, you may need angioplasty and a cardiac stent. Narrowing of the coronary arteries is caused by a build-up of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries. Bassett Healthcare Network offers heart stent procedures as part of our interventional cardiology services.

The build-up of plaque that can lead to an angioplasty procedure and stent placement is caused by:

When Do You Need a Heart Stent?

More than two million people get a heart stent each year. Heart stent procedures are used to open blocked arteries. 

Angioplasty and stent placement may be used to:

• Reduce the symptoms of coronary artery disease, such as shortness of breath
• Reduce the risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease
• Reduce damage to the heart muscle and prevent a heart attack

The Heart Stent Procedure

During an angioplasty procedure, a thin tube (catheter) is inserted in your leg and threaded to the narrowed artery. This tube is then expanded to open the artery. Then, a stent (wire mesh tube) is expanded in the narrowed section to support the artery and increase blood flow to the heart.

Heart stents have a drug-eluting coating to stop the artery from forming scar tissue around the stent. This will allow the stent to maintain normal blood flow to the heart.

The procedures are performed in the cardiac catheterization lab (called the cath lab). You will be given medicine to numb the area around in your leg where the catheter is inserted. You should not feel any pain during this part of the placement. The catheter is then threaded to the blocked artery. The doctors use image guidance so they can see the size and location of the blockage.

Angioplasty and stent placement are minimally invasive procedures. Patients are usually discharged within 24 hours and can resume their lifestyle generally within five to seven days.

Learn More About Stent Placement

To learn more about angioplasty and stent placement, contact your Bassett Healthcare Network cardiologist at 1-800-BASSETT.

Bassett Healthcare Network offers angioplasty and stent placement in Central New York, including Oneonta, Cobleskill, Cooperstown, Herkimer, Little Falls, and Delhi.