[Music] hello and welcome my name's John you probably have a lot of questions about your procedure and what happens now I understand because I have a stin too I remember asking how will my life be different now that I have a stint what is a stint anyway why do I need one what happens next in this video I'll Be Your guide to some answers we'll go through things chapter by chapter so if at any time you'd like to repeat a chapter just select the chapter you're interested in and the chapter will play again let's get [Music] started the workings of the heart are a Marvel it is about the size of your fist and sits just to the left of the middle of your chest the heart's job of providing the steady flow of blood to the head and body is vital blood delivers oxygen and nutrients and removes toxins and carbon dioxide to keep your body healthy the heart cannot do this job alone the heart needs oxygen and nutrients to do its job coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood necessary to keep the heart healthy and strong the coronary arteries are like pipes they Supply blood to the heart muscle like a pipe coronary arteries can get clogged over time with debris The debris that can clog an artery is called plaque plaque is a sticky substance made up of cholesterol fatty deposits calcium and other materials in the body the plaque buildup may break open what doctors called rupture and a blood clot then forms over the rupture site when that happens the blood clot can partially or completely block the coronary artery as a result of this blockage less blood flows through to the heart muscle starving the heart of the oxygen and nutrients it needs as you see in the next chapter this causes the chest pain or other symptoms that you may have experienced [Music] like the rest of your body the heart needs blood flowing through it to stay healthy when the heart is deprived of blood because of a plaque rupture and blood clotting in the coronary artery the result is a condition doctors called acute coronary syndrome or ACS you probably experience some of the symptoms of ACS severe chest pain or chest pressure are common there are several types of acute coronary syndrome one type is called unstable angen which is a condition where a patient feels unexpected chest pain when resting unstable angena can progress to another type of ACS called a heart attack during a heart attack also known as myocardial infarction part of the heart muscle dies because of lack of blood reaching it acute coronary syndrome is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent or emergency treatment if a doctor suspects ACS he or she will perform several tests to find find out how the heart has been affected a blood test will be done to see if heart damage has occurred another test called an electrocardiogram will be performed to measure the heart's electrical activity a doctor is also likely to perform a test called an angiogram this test examines the inside of your heart's blood vessels to determine where arteries are narrowed or blocked in your case you had a sudden complete or partial heart artery blockage resulting from a blood clot which caused an acute coronary syndrome your doctor can answer your questions about which specific type of ACS you had how it has affected your heart and what tests were [Music] necessary when tests confirm that an acute coronary syndrome has taken place one option is to reopen the artery to help get the blood flowing more freely to the heart muscle again to do this doctors perform a procedure called a percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI for short it is also known as angioplasty let's take a look to see how doctors do this when performing a PCI the doctor inserts a thin flexible guide wire into the narrow or blocked part of the coronary artery then the doctor pushes a long thin tube called the balloon catheter over the guide wire to the area of blockage when the balloon reaches the block agage the doctor inflates the balloon which pushes the plaque against the artery wall reopening the artery and restoring blood flow in most instances the doctor will permanently place a tiny wire mesh made of stainless steel or other metal allo this tiny wire mesh is called a stin and it acts like a scaffold to hold open the inside of the coronary artery your stin is made of tiny wires or struts each tiny strut can be about the same same thickness as a human hair these tiny struts create a wire mesh tube that helps to support the artery wall like a scaffold in a tunnel to do its job the stin needed to be guided through the artery to the exact place where the blockage took place the doctor performed a percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI to do this the stin comes mounted on a tiny deflated balloon at the tip of the catheter during the procedure the the doctor passed the small stent catheter down the artery once the stent reached the place where the artery was blocked the doctor inflated the small balloon as the balloon inflated the stin expanded and was permanently locked into place helping to keep the artery open as you can see the stin has a very important job to do but there are important things you must do after the stin is in place to keep your blood flowing freely to your heart let's take a look at what they are [Music] with your stint in place blood can flow more freely to the heart again nourishing it with oxygen and nutrients but for people with acute coronary syndrome treated with the stint there is a risk that the blood flow can be blocked again one reason why is found in the blood itself inside the blood are lots of tiny disk-shaped fragments called platelets these platelets are naturally sticky and easily clumped together to help form clots most of the time the blood clots that platelets form are helpful blood clots help prevent blood loss from a cut or wound for example blood clots can also help prevent germs from entering the body at the sight of an injury but for people with stance blood clots can also be dangerous after the stent is placed inside the artery there's a chance that the sticky platelets can get caught on The Wire mesh and bind together to form blood clots if this happens the blood clot May grow too big and stop blood from flowing to your heart this can lead to heart attack or even death that's why it's very important to follow your doctor's instructions after the stin is placed to help prevent the blood from clotting in the stint or coronary arteries your doctor May prescribe certain medications these medications help to keep the platelets from sticking together and forming blood clots and are designed to help the blood to flow more smoothly through the scent doctors call this type of treatment antiplatelet therapy your doctor likely prescribed an antiplatelet medicine to be taken along with aspirin aspirin is also an antiplatelet medicine but it works differently than your prescription medicine if your doctor prescribed antiplatelet therapy it's important to follow your doctor's instructions exactly if you do not take your medication or stop too soon you are at higher risk of a blood clot in the St having a heart attack or dying your doctor will decide how long your antiplatelet therapy will last do not stop taking your antiplatelet medicine without first talking to the Doctor Who prescribed it for you one risk for all antiplatelet medicines is the increased risk for bleeding but bleeding is not the only side effect of these medicines other risk exists too talk to your healthcare provider [Music] as a stent owner it's important to take the medication your healthc care team prescribes and to also follow a heart healthy lifestyle you've probably heard of some of these lifestyle tips before but even though they are good tips for everyone to follow they are especially important for people with stance because they can help reduce the risk of another heart event let's take a look at some of the most helpful avoid smoking smoking can promote the narrowing of your arteries which reduces blood flow to your heart stay active exercise helps to strengthen your heart muscles and keeps blood flowing through your arteries talk with your doctor about how much exercise and what kind is right for you together you'll be able to work out a plan that you can follow monitor your cholesterol and blood pressure regularly maintain a healthy weight too much weight can lead to high cholesterol high blood pressure and Di diabetes which are risk factors for your heart's Health oh and there's another benefit to staying with a healthy lifestyle it's a good feeling to know that you are in charge and can take an active role in reducing the risk to your heart now that you know the importance of taking care of your stint and maintaining your heart's Health it's good to remember that living a healthy life is a lifelong journey as you leave here today you're one of millions of people with a stent who have made the commitment to making healthy Life Choices you're not alone and your doctor is always ready to answer any questions you may have as someone with the sent best wishes to you and a lifetime of good heart health [Music]