Heart Stents-Need Info and Research sites


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Heart Stents-Need Info and Research sites

by Kelley
Posted: Tue., March 4, 2008, 02:31 pm

vote

Topics: Heart Disease

My father is 65 and has high blood pressure. Last October he had a severe blockage and had a stent put in. He is on lots of blood pressure medicine and over the last 4 weeks his blood pressure has been really high. We are very concerned that the stent has become glogged again which is some thing that can occur frequently from what I'm starting to learn. I'm am extremely worried about my father and we are not confident in his current cardio doctor and are looking for another doc. He is schedule to go in March 14th for a nuclear test which will check the status of his stent and for any additional blockages in his heart. This test is still 2 weeks away. I would like to research stents in general for Cardio, can any one tell me of some great sites for information about stents?

Heart Stents -- Research

Kelley, I understand your concern and it's great you're seeking out more information to make sure your father is receiving the best medical care.

We went straight to the top to find answers to your questions about research. A Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute (ranked best in the country by US News and World Report) nurse made the following suggestions. You'll notice he or she refers back to the hospital's site, but there does seem to be some good info here.

To learn more about the many treatment options available for patients with coronary artery disease, see http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcent...
Under Information for Health Care Professionals - there is a search box - if you would like to search for publications written by our surgeons at http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcent...
You can search within our Cleveland Clinic Disease Management site at http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/dise...

You may do a focused search in the National Library of Medicine data base at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query... This will provide you with all publications printed on the topic you are searching

On the American Heart Association Sitehttp://www.americanheart.org/ , American College of Cardiology http://www.acc.org/ , and the Society for Thoracic Surgeons http://www.sts.org/ , you may search on specific standards related to the topic -
Last, if you prefer to have someone provide you with this search - you can request a Health Information Assisted Medical Search at https://www.eclevelandclinic.org/RHIHome...

For the complete list of the country's best heart hospitals, according to US News and World Report, click on the link below.

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/b...

You may be able to find more information on the hospitals Web sites and they may be able to make a recommendation for a great doctor in your area.

The American Heart Journal has a ton of literature on stents and can be found here. It’s pretty academic, however.

http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/perio...

by Tina T
Posted: Wed., March 5, 2008, 08:15 am

Heart Stents -- Research-THANKS

Tina: You are a lifesaver.......I can't thank you enough for getting me pointed in the right direction for information regarding Heart Stents. I have looked at some of this information and it's so HELPFUL! I also want to thank you for getting back to me so quick, I am just so concerned about my Dad's health and his risk of a stroke or heart attack and your speedy reply now helps me to start getting up to speed on his condition and stents. EmpowHer is like having a 24 hour Health Help Desk! Thanks again for your help, Kelley

by Kelley
Posted: Wed., March 5, 2008, 07:49 pm

Restenosing

Kelly, It's not uncommon for a restenosis to happen at the same site. It's typically not the same "calcification" that blocked the artery before but, the artery reacting to the foreign body. It produces an abundance of cells that create the blockage, much like scar tissue that results from trauma. They can go in and put another stent in the same place or more frequently, in most top hospitals, they put in drug-eluding stents. It's coated with a drug that keeps the scar tissue from forming. While that's not a guarantee, it helps tremendously. Belle

by BayouBelle
Posted: Mon., March 10, 2008, 07:24 pm

Restenosing-Drug Eluding Stents

Hi Belle: Thanks for the reply-very helpful information. My father had a drug eluding stent put in late last year. I have heard very mixed reviews of drug eluding stents and that the jury is still out on their overall benefits. Based on your post you seem to know a lot about this area, are you in the medical profession? I look forward to your reply. Thanks

by Kelley
Posted: Tue., March 11, 2008, 08:43 am