Heart Health
What happens if my stent stops working?
Ask the doctor
I just got a stent placed in my heart artery and feel great again. If it develops problems, can it be treated?A little history about stents may help you understand the challenges they can pose. The first stents were bare metal. Sometimes, cells in the artery walls multiplied and grew through openings in the stent, blocking blood flow. This process is known as restenosis. Coating stents with a drug that gradually seeps into the surrounding tissue slowed down the overgrowth of those cells.
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