Well, several reasons..
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Stents are easy to install, generally you get out of the hospital either that same day or the day after.. With stents you're on light duty for a week and you don't have a gnarly scar anywhere on you - they go through a catheter through an artery - its pretty amazing they can do that.. Stents are better for people with only 1-4 different blockages that are easily accessed.. with a stent, they take what looks like a small spring, and insert it into the blockage to expand the artery and keep it open and flowing more freely.. but, with stents, you have to take anti-platelet/blood thinners for a year because the body views the stent as a foreign object and you can throw a blood clot inside a stent and keep over real dead.. I guess after a year the stent gets covered in tissue or something? I don't really know..
Bypass is a much more invasive procedure.. they cut your chest - I dunno - 6"-10" long, they have to make your heart stop beating for 4-5 hours, they cut open a leg (I think) to harvest an artery to replace in or around the heart that basically "bypasses" all the clogged arteries.. if you have multiple clogged arteries, a bypass may be your only option as there are too many arteries to fix - and too small to stent or "balloon" open where they stick in a balloon and inflate it to kinda push back the clogs to make more room.. they then hope to restart your heart, you're in the hospital 5-6 days, and have a minimum of a month recovery time.. some of the guys in my cardiac rehab had bypasses up to 6 months ago and still have extreme pain from the procedure..
So, I was on the table - during a cardiac cath you're awake - but shot up full of fentanyl and was totally expecting him to find nothing, yank the cath line and send me home.. instead, he calls for my wife, explains I have to decided between multiple stents now and in the future, or bypass surgery now and possibly more stents in the future.. I chose the stents because I didn't want a major surgery - that would have had to be done in Dallas, not my hometown - 6 days in a hospital, a massive chest scar, and months of recovery.. I may still need bypass in the future, but I'm giving the less invasive stents a chance..
I have never looked up the differences of stents and bypass - I never had the chance during the procedure.. I had to make a huge decision right then and there, but no chance to study either.. We are friends with the cardiologist and everyone that works in that department, as my wife works in that department.. I got everyone's opinion afterward, that I could, and every single one of them said I might the right decision - only do bypass if absolutely necessary..
Thank you for your kind words, canada..
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
Bypass is a much more invasive procedure.. they cut your chest - I dunno - 6"-10" long, they have to make your heart stop beating for 4-5 hours, they cut open a leg (I think) to harvest an artery to replace in or around the heart that basically "bypasses" all the clogged arteries.. if you have multiple clogged arteries, a bypass may be your only option as there are too many arteries to fix - and too small to stent or "balloon" open where they stick in a balloon and inflate it to kinda push back the clogs to make more room.. they then hope to restart your heart, you're in the hospital 5-6 days, and have a minimum of a month recovery time.. some of the guys in my cardiac rehab had bypasses up to 6 months ago and still have extreme pain from the procedure..
So, I was on the table - during a cardiac cath you're awake - but shot up full of fentanyl and was totally expecting him to find nothing, yank the cath line and send me home.. instead, he calls for my wife, explains I have to decided between multiple stents now and in the future, or bypass surgery now and possibly more stents in the future.. I chose the stents because I didn't want a major surgery - that would have had to be done in Dallas, not my hometown - 6 days in a hospital, a massive chest scar, and months of recovery.. I may still need bypass in the future, but I'm giving the less invasive stents a chance..
I have never looked up the differences of stents and bypass - I never had the chance during the procedure.. I had to make a huge decision right then and there, but no chance to study either.. We are friends with the cardiologist and everyone that works in that department, as my wife works in that department.. I got everyone's opinion afterward, that I could, and every single one of them said I might the right decision - only do bypass if absolutely necessary..
Thank you for your kind words, canada..
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
