Coronary artery stenosis and blockage: Who should put a stent? Who should have surgery?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by the Doctor of Cardiology Interventional Unit, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

Coronary artery is an extremely important blood supply system for the heart in particular and for the whole human body in general. Let's learn about coronary artery disease and come up with the most appropriate treatment options.

1. What is coronary artery disease and coronary artery disease

The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that nourish the heart. Each of our hearts has two main coronary arteries: the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery. These coronary arteries arise from the root of the aorta and run across the surface of the heart. The left coronary artery runs a short distance, called the common coronary artery (1-3cm), then divides into 2 large branches, the anterior interventricular artery and the circumflex artery.
Thus, the coronary artery system has three large branches that are responsible for nourishing the heart: the anterior interventricular artery, the circumflex artery and the right coronary artery. These three large branches give rise to many smaller arterial branches such as septal branches, cross branches, and border branches... will be responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the aorta to nourish all structures in the heart. .
When coronary artery disease means that the blood flow from the coronary arteries to the heart muscle is reduced, then the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen and angina occurs.

2. Coronary artery stenosis

Coronary artery stenosis is a condition that occurs when one or more branches of the coronary arteries are narrowed or obstructed due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques that accumulate inside the coronary arteries. The reason is that the human body degenerates with age, making the coronary arteries no longer soft and elastic, or an unscientific lifestyle causes the blood circulation system to be affected, leading to the coronary arteries being affected according to . Due to lack of blood supply to the heart, the heart muscle cannot receive the necessary amount of blood and oxygen, causing angina or myocardial infarction and leading to extremely dangerous complications.
In addition, with worsening over time, coronary artery disease makes the heart muscle ischemic, weakening, leading to heart failure and arrhythmia. It can be seen that these are extremely dangerous diseases for each person's health and life, so patients need to have adequate knowledge to detect early and have the most effective treatment measures.
Doctors often recommend two options: coronary artery dilation and stenting, or coronary artery bypass surgery. These are all the most modern treatment methods of medicine, but choosing the right plan for each patient is something that needs careful consideration.

3. Coronary dilatation and stenting

This is called percutaneous coronary intervention, in which the doctor will use a small catheter (catheter) to insert a small balloon into the lumen of the blocked coronary artery, then dilate and place a stent. ) to re-canalize blood flow.
Coronary intervention can be done simply by opening a small hole in the skin to insert a catheter into an artery in the thigh or wrist. The procedure is usually done within 1 hour and most patients can go home 1-2 days after the procedure is over.
However, this method is only suitable for patients with coronary artery stenosis not too severe and due to the simplicity and convenience of the technique. However, for patients with severe and complicated coronary artery stenosis, the better option is coronary bypass surgery.

4. Coronary artery bypass grafting

Coronary bypass surgery is done by using a healthy blood vessel taken from organs such as legs, arms, back, abdomen to make an artery bypassing the blocked coronary artery from the aorta. , helping to create a new pathway for blood to feed the heart muscle.
However, with the surgical method, doctors always have to consider it based on the patient's health status and are often applied to patients with severe, complicated coronary artery stenosis or angioplasty. , unsuccessful stenting, or successful but subsequent re-stenosis.

5. Treatment of coronary artery stenosis and occlusion at Vinmec

Cardiovascular Center at Vinmec International General Hospital is a top choice with a methodical investment in advanced equipment and machines. Hybrid operating room is equipped with modern equipment such as DSA angiography machine, anesthesia machine with the most closely integrated patient hemodynamic monitoring software (PiCCO system, entropy,...). Therefore, the Hybrid operating room can meet the requirements of both surgery and angioplasty, coronary stenting, aortic stent graft, open heart surgery, heart valve replacement for congenital heart diseases with minimal modern technology. most invasive, safe, help patients recover health soon. The surgeons involved in the surgery are all highly trained and certified cardiologists who perform the technique.
With a disease related to the heart - the most important part for the body, choosing a reputable and quality medical examination and treatment unit is extremely important for patients as well as family members. . And Vinmec hospital is a medical facility that completely meets the trust of patients and relatives.

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