“Is a stent a good option for ischemic heart disease?”
My mother had pain in her chest, and we took her to the hospital immediately. After ECG, we learned that she had ischemic heart disease. She is also a diabetes and BP patient. Should she get a stent?
2 Answers
The current indications for patients with diabetes and ischemic heart disease due to a single vessel is to get a stent. If there are multiple arteries that are affected and being diabetic, the current recommendations and best practice is to undergo open heart surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, (CABG).
A stent is very good for relieving symptoms of angina, and in some acute situations - i.e., acute chest pain. If there is a severely narrowed artery or arteries, then stenting is also a good idea. The best stents are impregnated stents, but dot let them use the dissolvable stents, which are more expensive and don't work as well. She will need an angiogram before deciding on what needs to be done, also she needs to have her diabetes and blood pressure well controlled.
Regards,
Gerald Lewis, MD
Regards,
Gerald Lewis, MD
