If a blood vessel or duct in your body is blocked or narrowing, a stent can hold it open so blood or fluid flows normally. Doctors use stents in many places: the heart (coronary stents), legs (peripheral stents), and even the ureter or bile duct. The goal is simple — prevent dangerous blockage and relieve symptoms like chest pain, leg cramping, or jaundice.
There are a few common stent types. Bare-metal stents are simple metal scaffolds. Drug-eluting stents release medicine to lower the chance of re-narrowing. There are also covered stents used to seal leaks or damaged vessels. Your doctor chooses the type based on the location, the size of the blockage, and your overall health.
Why get a stent? For heart disease, stents open clogged coronary arteries to reduce chest pain and cut heart attack risk. In the legs, stents ease walking pain from poor circulation. For urinary or biliary problems, stents keep ducts open so urine or bile can pass normally.
The procedure is usually done by a cardiologist, vascular surgeon, or interventional radiologist. You'll get local numbing and light sedation. The doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) through a small puncture, often in the groin or wrist, guides it to the blockage, and inflates a tiny balloon to place the stent. The whole visit often takes a few hours.
Afterwards you may stay for monitoring a few hours or overnight. Expect mild soreness at the puncture site and fatigue for a couple of days. Your doctor will tell you which medicines to take — commonly aspirin plus another antiplatelet drug for coronary stents. Take these exactly as prescribed; stopping early raises the risk of stent clotting.
Follow-up matters. You’ll have clinic visits and maybe imaging to check blood flow. Cardiac rehab is commonly recommended after heart stents to help rebuild fitness and reduce risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking.
Watch for warning signs: sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, high fever, heavy bleeding from the access site, sudden weakness, or severe leg pain. For ureteric stents, look for high fever, severe flank pain, or heavy blood in urine. Contact your healthcare team or emergency services if any of these occur.
Simple lifestyle steps help stent success: stop smoking, eat a heart-healthy diet, keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control, stay active, and take medicines on time. Stents fix a problem right away, but long-term health depends on the choices you make after the procedure.
If you’re facing a stent, ask your doctor about the type they recommend, how long you’ll need antiplatelet drugs, what recovery looks like, and what symptoms should prompt an urgent call. That makes the whole process clearer and safer for you.
