What to Expect From the Stent Procedure

Prior to your heart stent procedure, you may be asked to take aspirin and other prescribed medications. For more information, visit our Pre-Procedure section.

On the day of your stent procedure, health care professionals will bring you to the cardiac catheterization lab and prepare you for your catheterization. Once the doctor performs the initial balloon procedure to create a wider opening for the stent, he or she will place the stent in your coronary artery. You will be able to be awake for the procedure.

  Here’s how the CYPHER® Stent procedure works:

• Your doctor will insert a stent mounted on a balloon catheter through a small incision in your groin or arm and will place it at the site of the initial blockage in the artery.
• He or she will inflate the balloon and help the stent expand and become firmly pressed into the inner wall of your artery.
• Technicians will then take X-rays so that the doctor can see the stent in your artery. At this time, your doctor may decide whether you require additional balloon inflations to expand the stent further.
• Your doctor will then deflate the balloon catheter and remove it along with the guidewire and guiding catheter. The stent will remain in place permanently.

Many patients are able to return home the following day. You should be able to return to your normal activities soon after your procedure but this will be determined by your doctor. Check with your doctor before doing anything that is physically strenuous. For more information, visit our Post-Procedure section.