Martha Jefferson Monday: What is a Stent and How is it Used? - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

When a person has a blocked artery, it's important to get it opened as soon as possible.  Cardiologists use stents to do just that.  

"A stent is a little wire mesh tube that we use to open a blocked artery," said Dr. Josh Fischer, medical director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Martha Jefferson Hospital.  

In the past, cardiologists used bare metal stents.  Now, there's a more advanced option available called a drug eluting stent.  

"A drug eluting stent is a metal stent that has a coating on it, and that coating has a drug that prevents that artery from blocking back up, and they really solved the problem of stents blocking back up," said Fischer.  

The medicine on the stent is released over time, typically between six and eight weeks, and ensures that once an artery is opened, it stays that way.  

"These stents are very good at opening a blocked artery, which can lead to heart attacks or heart failure if they are left blocked," remarked Fischer. "They are the best thing out there to treat angina, which is chest pain caused by a blocked artery." 

Dr. Fischer adds that this latest generation of the stent is the safest yet and the most effective treatment possible for patient who are suffering.  

"Stents continue to be the most effective way to relieve chest pain caused by blocked arteries."

For more information on cardiology services at Martha Jefferson, click here, or call Health Connection at (434) 654-7009.

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