Stents are small, wire tubes that are used to help reopen passageways such as arteries and blood vessels that have narrowed. Most often, a stent is used to open up arteries that have been blocked by the build-up of plaques, which are a combination of fats and cholesterols. Although there are some risks that can be associated with a stent procedure, the risk of not getting the stent will usually outweigh these risks, since limited blood flow or blocked vessels can lead to serious and even deadly complications such as heart attack or stroke.
Though the risk is very low, some of the complications that can potentially arise from having a stent procedure include:
- Blood clots: Sometimes blood clots can form within a stent after the procedure is complete. If this happens, it can completely block the artery, which can cause a heart attack. This is why it is important to take blood thinning medications as directed to decrease the risk of blood clots from occurring. These medications could include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), or prasugrel (Effient).
- Restenosis: This is a term to describe the re-narrowing of your artery after the procedure. Although stents were designed to reduce the risk of this occurring, restenosis still occurs in about 10% to 20% of cases, depending on which type of stent is being used.
- Bleeding: At the site where the catheter is inserted, you will sometimes experience internal bleeding. In most cases, this will simply result in a bruise, but in some cases, serious bleeding can occur which could result in the need for blood transfusions or surgery.
- Heart attack: Even though it is very rare for this occur, you do have a small chance of having a heart attack during the procedure.
- Kidney problems: If you already have kidney problems, the dye that is used during angioplasty and stent placement procedure can cause further damage to your kidneys. To prevent this, your doctor can limit the amount of contrast dye and make sure that you stay well-hydrated throughout the procedure.
- Coronary artery damage: If for any reason your coronary artery is torn or ruptured during the procedure, this would require immediate emergency bypass surgery to repair.
- Abnormal heart rhythms: Your heart may begin to beat too quickly or too slowly during a stent procedure. This will usually subside after the procedure is over, but sometimes you might need medications or a temporary pacemaker.
- Stroke: If the plaques that are blocking your blood vessels happen to break lose while the catheter is being threaded into your aorta, this can cause a stroke to occur. Even though this is an extremely rare complication, blood thinners are still used during the procedure to prevent this from happening.
- Allergic reaction: You could have an allergic reaction to some of the medications or dyes that are used during the procedure.
- Kidney stones: If the stent is being used in the ureters, this could potentially cause kidney stones to develop.
