When do you need a stent?

A stent is an implant that is inserted into vessels to ensure that they do not close. Angina pectoris is a symptom that occurs in people who have calcifications in the area of the heart disease vessels. Depending on how pronounced these calcifications are, there is a risk that the vessel will become completely blocked.

Such a complete vessel occlusion leads to an acute heart attack because the heart is no longer supplied with sufficient blood. Patients with acute myocardial infarction must therefore be admitted to a cardiac catheterization laboratory as soon as possible. Here, a cardiac catheter examination is performed to determine which coronary arteries are blocked.

The occluded vessels are then dilated again and stabilised with a stent so that they do not close again immediately. In order to prevent a dangerous heart attack from occurring in the first place, patients with angina pectoris should see a cardiologist (heart specialist). The cardiologist can then determine whether a cardiac catheter examination is necessary on the basis of various examinations.

If the cardiac catheter examination reveals a critical narrowing of one or more heart disease vessels, stents are inserted. Stents are therefore necessary in patients in whom critical narrowing of the coronary arteries has been detected during a cardiac catheter examination. However, stent implantation is not always a sufficient therapeutic measure, in which case a bypass operation may be necessary.

When is a bypass surgery necessary?

There are two ways of restoring the blood flow to the heart in narrowed coronary arteries: Stenting or bypass surgery. In bypass surgery, the narrowed part of the affected vessel is bridged by inserting a new vessel. While stent implantation as part of a cardiac catheter examination is a relatively gentle procedure that does not even require anaesthesia, the bypass operation is a major open-heart surgery.

However, which procedure yields the better result depends on various factors. For example, if several vessels at unfavourable locations or main stem vessels are affected, stent implantation may not be sufficiently successful. Whether a bypass operation is necessary must be decided on the basis of a cardiac catheter examination. In addition to the nature of the vascular constrictions, the patient’s age and general condition as well as the patient’s wishes play an important role in the decision between stent implantation and bypass surgery.

Homeopathy

If you want to treat angina pectoris with homeopathic remedies, you should always know that this is a potentially life-threatening disease which should be clarified by a doctor. Conventional medical therapies have proven their effectiveness in studies and are therefore an essential part of the treatment, homeopathic measures can have a complementary effect. If angina pectoris is present, homeopaths recommend the so-called gold drops.

They consist of Crataegus (mother tincture), Aurum chloratum Dil. D4, Convallaria majalis Dil. D1, Ignatia Dil.

D4 and Arnica mother tincture. They are said to stimulate the blood circulation of the heart and generally have a positive influence on the vessels. Crataegus, in German hawthorn, is also used alone, without combination with other homeopathic remedies. Hawthorn is said to stimulate the blood circulation and to increase the strength of the heart. Homeopathy should only be used for mild symptoms, if the pain persists for more than half an hour, a doctor should be consulted.