Exact Answer: Permanent
The stents last for the whole life as they are permanent. There are certain conditions when the stents can come back in 4 to 24 weeks. The stents may start narrowing in very few cases. If everything goes well, then the stent can last forever without any issues. The main purpose of the stents is to open up the arteries.
The stent would be a great device to keep the heart working and person alive. The stent is mainly provided or entered into the area of the arteries where the area is quite narrow. The stents are mainly part of the angioplasty procedure where the situation is extremely critical.
Sometimes, the arteries would get packed with fatty plaque and the presence of fatty plaque would make the arteries get blocked or get narrow very easily. The stents are quite small and would be around 20mm. The stents would not cause any type of side effects if taken care of properly.
Most of the time, the patients may have to get the stent removed 6 to 8 weeks after the surgery. Some patients may need to replace the stents after 6 months when asked by the doctor.
How Long Do Stents Last?
| Stents | Time |
| In weeks | No limit |
| In months | No limit |
The patient would experience no pain when the catheter is put inside as the doctor would use anesthesia for the procedure. The arteries contain no nerve ending and this is why people will not feel any type of pain. When the balloon would get inflated, some pain may be felt by the patient.
The chest pain would be very mild and would go with time. Some people may require sedation for getting calm, but this is not mandatory for all people. The stent can be put either from the groin or wrist. It depends on the doctor and the convenience of the people.
Most of the time, the stents are entered from the wrist as this is easier for the patients and doctors. The stents can last for the whole life without causing any type of complications. There are some cases when the doctor would ask the patients to replace the stent in just 24 weeks.
If the stents are about to get replaced, then the doctor would use another stent to help the condition of the patients. The most common reason behind using another stent is the narrowing of arteries. Sometimes, the stent would not be able to keep the arteries open for a long time.
This will ask for the replacement of stents to help the heart function effectively. The person is supposed to quit any type of bad habit such as alcohol intake, smoking, and unhealthy food habits. If the person follows good food habits and follows a healthy lifestyle, then there won’t be any requirement for more stents.
The stents may cause some kind of injury such as bruising. These would get cleared in just 2 to 3 weeks after the surgery is over. Some people may take more time to get healed from any minor injury caused by the doctor. The patients will have to take a few medications for getting healed from the surgery.
Why Do Stents Last This Long?
If the surgery was planned, then the patients would be able to recover within a few hours depending on the consequences of the surgery. In some surgery, the site where the stent has been inserted would start bleeding, and this would take around 6 hours to get healed.
In case of unplanned surgery, the patients would not be able to recover early. For example, if the surgery is done for treating heart attacks, then they will have to stay under observation for a few hours, or days depending on the severity of heart attacks. According to many experts, no patient should start driving immediately after the stent surgery.
The patients are supposed to not drive for around 7 days after the stent surgery is done. The stents are prepared with non-reactive materials, which would not cause any side effects in people. There will be a very less percentage of people where the stents may not work effectively. As the body may take some time to adjust the foreign substance inside it.
Conclusion
The lasting time of the stents depends on how the patient’s body reacts to the stent. In some people, the stents would stay for the whole life without asking for replacements. In some people, the stents may not suit well and would ask for a replacement. Many people will show few side effects to the stents for which the doctor would give medication.
If the stents would show any problems within 4 to 6 months of the surgery, then they may have to get removed or replaced.
References
- https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2010.06.007
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra051091
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