Can lack of second stent increase the chances of a heart attack?
Patient: My husband just had a stent put in his coronary artery - he has had several before including a 3 vessel bypass and a ballloon to open the first blockage he had (which produced a heart attack and damage to his left heart muscle. The doctor also told me that my husband has an artery , the mammary artery, that remains blocked . He said the thought of putting two stints in but they would likely close as it is too long - my question is what will this mean to his day-to-day functioning and is it likely to cause another heart attack? the doctor said the stent he put in should give him a good improvement. Doctor: Dear Mrs,To give you a complete answer I need all his discharge papers, his last echocardiography answer and the loops of his last coronary angiography and stenting.However, based on provided information, if his Mammary artery is completely blocked, then there is no risk of another heart attack, and sometimes, when an artery is blocked the other one starts supply the region of that artery, or if he already has had a heart attack in that region in the past, then it will cause him no further harm.If his doctor told you that he will improve after the stent he has put, most probably it was an important artery and he will feel the difference soon.Wish a good health to your husbandIn case of any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me with more detailed information.Regards,Dr Baghdasaryan