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After undergoing a procedure to insert two stents into the arteries near his heart, Bernie Sanders had to reschedule his campaign events. This common medical intervention is relatively straightforward—here’s a closer look at how it works.
Who Requires a Stent?
Coronary artery stents are widely used, with approximately two million individuals undergoing the procedure annually. While they are often implanted during a heart attack, they are also frequently utilized to prevent heart attacks in patients with arterial blockages.
Bernie received a stent after reporting chest pain, as confirmed by his team to the press. When a patient complains of chest pain, they might undergo a coronary angiogram, a procedure that uses X-rays to detect arterial blockages. If a blockage is identified, doctors often suggest stent placement.
What exactly is a stent?
A stent is a small mesh tube designed to be inserted into a narrowed artery to keep it open. Doctors typically guide a thin tube through an artery in the wrist or groin, advancing it to the heart's arteries. Once the blockage is reached, a balloon is inflated to expand the artery, and the stent, wrapped around the balloon, remains in place to maintain the artery's openness. (The remaining equipment is then removed.) Here’s a video from Mayo Clinic illustrating the process inside the artery:
The procedure for angioplasty and stent placement typically lasts between one to three hours, as noted by WebMD, and patients can usually return to work within a week.
