Coronary Stent

If you need treatment for clogged coronary arteries, you’ll need a minimally invasive procedure to insert a coronary stent. South Brooklyn Care’s Elvira Neculiseanu, MD, and Aleksandre Toreli, MD, have extensive experience inserting stents to reopen blocked arteries and restore the normal blood flow to your heart. Call the South Brooklyn Care office in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, today or book an appointment online. We’re ready to answer your questions about your symptoms or schedule a procedure.

What is a coronary stent?

A coronary stent is a small tube that fits inside a coronary artery (the blood vessels carrying oxygen-rich blood into your heart). The stent is made of a metal mesh that expands after it’s placed in the artery.

When would I need a coronary stent?

The cardiac specialists at South Brooklyn Care use a stent to treat coronary artery disease (clogged arteries). Coronary artery disease begins when cholesterol and other fats form a plaque that builds up on the artery wall, a condition called atherosclerosis.

Without treatment, the plaque enlarges and hardens, blocking circulation and eventually causing a heart attack.

Inserting a coronary stent keeps the artery open and restores normal blood flow. Some stents are coated with a medicine that’s released over time. These “drug-eluting stents” help prevent plaque from building up.

What symptoms indicate I need a coronary stent?

Symptoms don’t appear until the plaque blocks a significant portion of the blood flow. Many people never experience symptoms until they have a heart attack.

If you develop symptoms of coronary artery disease, you’ll have:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Neck pain

The symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Chest pain and/or pressure
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Severe indigestion
• Neck, shoulder, jaw, or upper back pain

You might also feel unusually tired before a heart attack.

How is a coronary stent inserted?

Your South Brooklyn Care provider inserts a coronary stent using a minimally invasive procedure called angioplasty and stenting. They make a tiny incision in your arm or groin and insert a catheter (a narrow, flexible tube) into the artery.

They gently guide the catheter to the clogged coronary artery using a real-time X-ray called fluoroscopy to see the catheter and blood vessels. Once the catheter is positioned in the blocked area, they release a balloon from the catheter.

They expand the balloon, pushing the plaque back against the artery wall. At the same time, the stent that was around the balloon expands and is implanted.

For the final step, your provider deflates the balloon and removes it along with the catheter, leaving the stent in place.

Call South Brooklyn Care today or request an appointment online to learn more about coronary artery disease and stents.