“A stent is a tiny tube that can play a big role in treating your heart disease. It helps keep your arteries — the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body, including the heart muscle itself — open.

Most stents are made out of wire mesh and are permanent. Some are made out of fabric. These are called stent grafts and are often used for larger arteries.

Others are made of a material that dissolves and that your body absorbs over time. They’re coated in medicine that slowly releases into your artery to prevent it from being blocked again.”

Web MD (https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-stent)

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A stent is a wire mesh tube that is used to help hold open an artery. To simple understanding this concept think of a plumber or a mechanic. With a plumber sometimes they have to replace a certain area of a pipe that connects the water or like a mechanic replacing a certain area of piping (like the muffler piping connected infront of the muffler than can either can be replaced or just welded with piece of piping welded just to save money. Well a stent opens the artery that was clogged and its put in that place to reinforce that area of the artery to remain open to allow blood to get to that heart from that coronary artery and it will stay there life to keep the artery permanently patent to prevent the blockage from happening again with the synthetic mesh piece.

Description

Stents are used to hold open diseased coronary arteries (these arteries supply blood to the heart), as well as diseased arteries of the peripheral vascular system (PVS). Peripheral means away from the heart the PVS is the arteries that supply blood to the rest of the body (again away from the heart all the way down to the hands and feet).

There are variety of stents currently available.

For a surgeon to find out if you even need one, first usually a angiogram is performed and this is a catheter simply from the femerol artery or from your arm to the coronary arteries. If the MD sees you show a blockage 80% or more an angioplasty is performed which is a balloon at the end of this catheter that blows up and decompresses to give the effect like punching gloves. The balloon inflates and deflates over and over again till the blockage breaks open free and then a stent is put in that area to help keep it open permanently (patent).

Some stents have been compressed onto the outside of an angioplasty balloon catheter and delivered by inflating the balloon in the desired location. Other stents are “self- expanding” spring-loaded devices, which expand automatically upon deployment.

Stents remain in arteries permanently. The tissue lining the arteries actually grows over the metal mesh to cover the inner lumen of the stent.

Stent procedures have become very common like tonsillectomies were in childhood. Stents are sometimes used as an alternative to coronary artery bypass surgery, if the patient is a candidate. Stents are often used in combination with balloon angioplasty. One leads to the other depending on what the angioplasty displays for the surgeon on the T.V. in when they are doing the procedure and if the come up to a blockage high enough to perform the angioplasty followed with a stent it will be done.

Stents are used in cases of “restenosis”, which refers to the re-closing of arteries after balloon angioplasty. In carefully selected patients, the use of stents can dramatically reduce restenosis following balloon angioplasty or other catheter-based procedures. Stents are used frequently to hold open the arteries that have been damaged, torn, or dissected by balloon angioplasty or other catheter-based procedures. Like plumber or mechanic, get it.

Stents allow angioplasty to be done in patients with severe and long-segment obstruction of coronary arteries. As soon as the I initial part of the block is widened, a stent is place, which holds it open allowing further opening to proceed. Stents have also allowed angioplasty to be performed in patients with blocks of multiple vessels, and in multiple blocks in a single artery.

Angioplasty and stent placement are common procedures to open arteries in the heart that are clogged. These procedures are formally known as coronary angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention.

Angioplasty involves the use of a tiny balloon to widen the artery. A stent is a tiny wire-mesh tube that your doctor inserts into the artery. The stent stays in place to prevent the artery from closing. A cardiologist typically performs both procedures at the same time.

While angioplasty with stent placement addresses an individual blockage, it doesn’t fix the underlying cause of the blockage. To prevent further blockages and reduce your risk of other medical conditions, you may have to make certain lifestyle changes to prevent it happening again.  The procedure of the angioplasty to insert a stent if needed resolves the immediate acute problem that the underlining disease the pt had causing the blockage.  This could be due to high cholesterol, diabetes, CAD,  and atheroscerosis.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, killing 382,776 men in 2020—that’s about 1 in every 4 male deaths.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, and whites. For Asian American or Pacific Islander men, heart disease is second only to cancer.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

“Fact: Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. It’s a third of our mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, coworkers and more. It’s a third of the women we can’t bear to live with it.

Fact: Cardiovascular disease impacts some women at higher rates than others, but the simple truth is that most cardiovascular diseases can still be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes.

Fact: Heart disease and stroke can affect a woman at any age, making it vital for all women to understand their personal risk factors and family history. Women can also experience unique life events that can impact their risk, including pregnancy and menopause. Furthermore, research shows that stress may impact health, making it important for women to understand the mind-body connection and how to focus on improving both their physical health and mental well-being.”

American Heart Association – Go Red for women (https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/facts)

“From landmarks to online communities, neighborhoods to news anchors, this annual groundswell unites millions of people for a common goal: the eradication of heart disease and stroke.

Wear red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and help save lives. Why? Because losing even one woman to cardiovascular disease is too many.

Heart attack and stroke are life-or-death emergencies — every second counts. If you think you or someone you’re with has any symptoms of heart attack or stroke, call 911 immediately.”

American Heart Association – Go Red (https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/give/wear-red-and-give)

This holiday can be traced all the way back to 2002. This is when the day was established by the American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Every year since its inception, this campaign has continued to reach a higher audience. This has resulted in greater awareness about heart disease and how it affects women.

National Wear Red Day isn’t an official holiday, so government buildings, post offices, and businesses remain open on this day. On this day, many people wear red to promote heart-health awareness among women. Some people also use this day to raise money for various heart-related charities such as the American Heart Association. On social media, many people will use the hashtag #GoRedWearRed to help bring attention to the day.

People wear red as a way to bring attention to the problem of heart disease in women. Many women wear red dresses (or other clothing too in red), the identifying symbol for the day. Health organizations hold seminars and public outreach events to educate people about prevention and screening of heart disease.

It’s also a good day for women to get their numbers checked. Having your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, blood sugar and BMI checked is a good way to find out if you’re at risk for developing heart disease.

Some Heart Disease Facts that could help many lives and possibly open some eyes to see the doctor at least yearly:

• Heart disease kills one woman every 80 seconds
• Every year, 30% of the deaths among women in the U.S are caused by heart attacks and strokes.
• 64% of women who die suddenly from heart disease will have no prior symptoms
• High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking all contribute to heart disease
• Physical inactivity also is a contributing factor to heart disease

All women face the threat of heart disease. Knowing the symptoms and risks unique to women, as well as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising, can help protect you.

Heart disease is often thought to be more of a problem for men. However, it’s the most common cause of death for both women and men in the United States. Because some heart disease symptoms in women can differ from those in men, women often don’t know what to look for.

Fortunately, by learning their unique heart disease symptoms, women can begin to reduce their risks.

What is actually Heart Disease mean? 

Conditions of the heart including structural and functional abnormalities which is pretty much all the heart illnesses and all the diagnosis(s).  This is HTN, heart attack, heart failure, Coronary Heart Disease, Atrial fibrillation, etc…

Biggest factor in preventing heart disease is staying healthy, great eating habits, letting your primary care doctor know family cardiac history especially in the nuclear family which will guide the M.D. in knowing what to look for in particular from assessments to tests yearly.

“Cardiovascular disease is the term for all types of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels, including coronary heart disease (clogged arteries), which can cause heart attacks, stroke, congenital heart defects and peripheral artery disease.Relying on false assumptions can be dangerous to your heart. Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans each year than any other disease. But you can boost your heart smarts by separating fact from fiction. Know the facts; one in three Americans has cardiovascular disease, but not all of them are senior citizens, the way to know if you have high blood pressure is to check your numbers with a simple blood pressure test. Early treatment of high blood pressure is critical because, if left untreated, it can cause heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and other serious health problems, a heart attack can be silent in some cases there are symptoms and many times not specific, treating diabetes can help reduce your risk for or delay the development of cardiovascular diseases, leg pain felt in the muscles could be a sign of a condition called peripheral artery disease-PAD and know as soon as possible, get moving with a plan approved for you by an MD! Research shows that heart attack survivors who are regularly physically active and make other heart-healthy changes live longer than those who don’t.”

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease/top-10-myths-about-cardiovascular-disease

“When we think of the month of February, we normally envision hearts – romantic, platonic, familial – of the Cupid variety that surround Saint Valentine’s Day. Another focal point this February (and every year) is American Heart Month, which spotlights the major impact that cardiovascular health has on Americans’ lives. American Heart Month is designated to raise awareness about heart conditions and urge Americans to lower their risk for developing heart disease.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.  Heart attacks are a major category of heart disease – someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds.”

Penn State Dickinson Law (https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/)

“Alagille syndrome can often be difficult to diagnose because it has signs and symptoms similar to those of other liver diseases, such as biliary atresia. There are several ways to diagnose Alagille syndrome, such as liver function tests, heart evaluations, eye exams, ultrasounds, and genetic testing.  Alagille syndrome can develop by chance with no history of the disease in the family. However, in up to 50% of cases, the disease is passed down from a parent.”

AlagilleSyndrome.com  (https://alagillesyndrome.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh5vN_q3j_AIVF_rICh0a1A5VEAAYASAAEgID4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

“It’s estimated that 6 out of 10 Americans suffer from a chronic disease, and 4 of those 10 suffer from two or more. These diseases include: type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, stroke, heart disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease and chronic lung disease.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)