Mom had angiogram, doctor's found 3 major blockages :(

[akshatp]

Anyone here have experience with any family members or friends with blockages? There seems to be controversy with having an Angioplasty and inserting a stent, because the coated stent causes blood clots, etc. There is a conference in Washington DC this week about using coated vs non-coated stents and what problems stem from each.

Some Doctor's/medical websites are even saying open heart bypass is safer, especially in Diabetes patients.

We have an appointment to get a second opinion from another Dr, and I have been scouring the net, but was just looking to see if anyone here has any good knowledge on the subject. Thanks.

UPDATE: My mom had the angioplasty done on Wednesday; the Dr. inserted two coated stents and she is home and doing well.

They had to keep her an extra day for observation due to high enzyme levels in her heart, but other than that all is well. She is already walking around and doing stuff, nothing strenous obviously.

She is taking medication and is now on a strict diet for the third (minor) blockage.

 

[jadinolf]

I have a friend in the hospital right now who had another massive heart attack last Tuesday. He had triple bypass surgery a few years ago and now another artery was blocked. the doc placed 2 stents and yesterday gave him a pacemaker.

He is 82 and when I visited him in the hospital today he was eating a REAL meal and seemed to be doing very well.

Not being a physician I can't make any recommendations but I wish your mom well.

 

[hypn0tik]

No idea.

Best of luck to you though!

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: jadinolf
I have a friend in the hospital right now who had another massive heart attack last Tuesday. He had triple bypass surgery a few years ago and now another artery was blocked. the doc placed 2 stents and yesterday gave him a pacemaker.

He is 82 and when I visited him in the hospital today he was eating a REAL meal and seemed to be doing very well.

Not being a physician I can't make any recommendations but I wish your mom well.

Sounds like your friend has someone watching out for him. Glad to hear he is doing well, hope all goes well on our end also. My mom just turned 64 last week.

 

[Slew Foot]

Usually when you have three or more vessels blocked they wont stent but instead recommend surgery.

 

[Ultralight]

My dad has had 5 angioplasties done. He'll be 72 this coming December. He would never had made it past 65 without them, but there were times when I wish the last time would have been open heart.

However, angios are less instrusive. Make sure she has a good cardiologist.

 

[aleckz]

My father has a couple angioplasties, he's fine, but you do have to watch what you eat and exercise if you want them to be efficient. Just like any situation with the heart.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: aleckz
My father has a couple angioplasties, he's fine, but you do have to watch what you eat and exercise if you want them to be efficient. Just like any situation with the heart.

She does eat healthy and exercises as much as she can... unfortunately she also has a herniated disc in her lower spine and fluid buildup in one of her knees...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Better to catch it early rather than after she's had a heart attack. :thumbsup:

Hope she gets well soon.

 

[HaxorNubcake]

find a good cardiac surgeon and things should hopefully go well. I'm finishing up high school (senior) but I've been in the OR and seen a couple of open heart operations and it's amazing what they can do, and how quickly they can do it. With today's technology, many coronary artery bypass graft operations don't even require a cardiopulmonary heart lung machine, and the surgery can be done with the heart still beating. The bypass operations that I observed all seemed to be pretty simple, uncomplicated procedures.

If you care to hear more about it just PM me and I'll be happy to share. Good luck to your mother!

 

[MDE]

Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: MDE
Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

This was my initial concern. I mean if the eventual roadmap is bypass anyway, why not get it over with now?

My mom is super scared of anything that requires opening her up though, because her brother and my dad's older brother both died on the table in the last 4 years during "preventative minor heart surgery". Different hospitals too.

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: MDE
Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

This was my initial concern. I mean if the eventual roadmap is bypass anyway, why not get it over with now?

My mom is super scared of anything that requires opening her up though, because her brother and my dad's older brother both died on the table in the last 4 years during "preventative minor heart surgery". Different hospitals too.

It's scary stuff. My Dad's best friend and former boss went in for some repair of leaky heart valves, and something went wrong. He had a major stroke, then died about a week later.
From what I have read, stents are working, because they hold the blocked area open, where an angioplasty is a more temporary aproach, but not a permanent fix.

I have a 55 year old friend who had stents 8 years ago. It's all been good since.

BTW, sorry to hear about your Mom. Listen, and try and be there for her appointments, if you can. Be willing to get other opinions, as long as her condition is not life threatening. Anyway, I wish you all the best.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: akshatp
Angioplasty or Open Heart?

I say we overclock it and beef up the cooling. Is this the right forum?

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: akshatp
Angioplasty or Open Heart?

I say we overclock it and beef up the cooling. Is this the right forum?

Dude, have some respect. We're talking about his Mom here. Sheeesh!

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: akshatp
Angioplasty or Open Heart?

I say we overclock it and beef up the cooling. Is this the right forum?

Dude, have some respect. We're talking about his Mom here. Sheeesh!

You missed the point. A computer forum may not be the wisest place to be asking for life sensitive medical advice, that is something that no one on the interrnet is or ever will be qualified to do (for the most part); a doctor and only a doctor should be the one answering this for him.

My point is (or was) in my first post, that he can get some really bad answers from a few people like myself that can cause him or his mother some real serious problems. Is this the right forum for such questions?

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: akshatp
Angioplasty or Open Heart?

I say we overclock it and beef up the cooling. Is this the right forum?

Dude, have some respect. We're talking about his Mom here. Sheeesh!

You missed the point. A computer forum may not be the wisest place to be asking for life sensitive medical advice, that is something that no one on the interrnet is or ever will be qualified to do (for the most part); a doctor and only a doctor should be the one answering this for him.

My point is (or was) in my first post, that he can get some really bad answers from a few people like myself that can cause him or his mother some real serious problems. Is this the right forum for such questions?

I agree with your point, just not your bedside manor.

 

[herbiehancock]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: MDE
Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

This was my initial concern. I mean if the eventual roadmap is bypass anyway, why not get it over with now?

My mom is super scared of anything that requires opening her up though, because her brother and my dad's older brother both died on the table in the last 4 years during "preventative minor heart surgery". Different hospitals too.

It's scary stuff. My Dad's best friend and former boss went in for some repair of leaky heart valves, and something went wrong. He had a major stroke, then died about a week later.
From what I have read, stents are working, because they hold the blocked area open, where an angioplasty is a more temporary aproach, but not a permanent fix.

Actually, Compuwiz, you have it somewhat backwards. An angioplasty is the stent fix. A CABG, or coronary artery bypass graft, is the more permanent fix for clogged arteries as they use a clean blood vessel to physically bypass the flow of blood around the blocked area in the artery. It has always been the gold standard in this type of surgery.

The sents fix (or called angioplasty), however, is becoming the stop-gap fix according to a new study by Duke University on the viability and longevity of stents (angioplasty) vs. treating blockages with meds vs. treating with CABG.

Stents have some problems that CABG's don't including fractures in the stent material after time and the introduction of a foreign substance into the body the the body deems unnatural and tries to "attack." The latter was addressed by the advent of drug-releasing stents, however, these have pretty much been left as surgeons have returned to the metal stents, because the drug-releasing stents have caused numerous complications.

The Duke University study was just released on Oct. 2, 206 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

The study was over 20 years and followed over 18K patients and is the largest and longest-term study of its kind so far. The results far outweigh previous studies due to patient volume studied and length of study.

Here's an excerpt of the study on WebWire.

Angioplasty is more the temporary fix, the CABG is the longer-term fix, but lifestyle changes, cholesterol reducing meds, etc. are much better than surgeries for long-term solutions. Despite which surgical choice is taken, the underlying disease is still present and must be dealt with or the surgery is useless.

 

[probzy]

Good luckt to your mom.

 

[vailr]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock

An angioplasty is the stent fix. [/quote]

Wrong.
An angioplasty means temporarily positioning a tiny balloon inside the narrowed artery site and inflating the balloon, so as to stretch wider the artery. Narrowing can be caused by occurance of plaques of cholesterol or less commonly, blood clots.
A stent placement additionally includes leaving behind (in the narrowed artery) a titanium wire mesh tube that is specially designed to "lock into place" that, once expanded into a larger diameter, won't then collapse back to original size. A stent may, or may not, be coated with anti-cholesterol clogging chemicals.
The medical controversy is mainly over whether the specific added chemical coating is safe and effective.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: vailr

Originally posted by: herbiehancock

An angioplasty is the stent fix.

Wrong.
An angioplasty means temporarily positioning a tiny balloon inside the narrowed artery site and inflating the balloon, so as to stretch wider the artery. Narrowing can be caused by occurance of plaques of cholesterol or less commonly, blood clots.
A stent placement additionally includes leaving behind (in the narrowed artery) a titanium wire mesh tube that is specially designed to "lock into place" that, once expanded into a larger diameter, won't then collapse back to original size. A stent may, or may not, be coated with anti-cholesterol clogging chemicals.
The medical controversy is mainly over whether the specific added chemical coating is safe and effective.

[/quote]

That is correct.

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: akshatp
Angioplasty or Open Heart?

I say we overclock it and beef up the cooling. Is this the right forum?

Dude, have some respect. We're talking about his Mom here. Sheeesh!

You missed the point. A computer forum may not be the wisest place to be asking for life sensitive medical advice, that is something that no one on the interrnet is or ever will be qualified to do (for the most part); a doctor and only a doctor should be the one answering this for him.

My point is (or was) in my first post, that he can get some really bad answers from a few people like myself that can cause him or his mother some real serious problems. Is this the right forum for such questions?

The reason I posted in a "computer forum" was because well isn't that what Off Topic is for? OFF the computer TOPIC. I didnt post here looking for medical advice, I was only asking for other people's experience's and histories with similar situations and outcomes.

I wasn't going to base a plan of action on someone here inisisting on what to do, I was looking for multiple scenarios which I otherwise would not know about, and then talk to a professional about them and weigh her options.

 

[compuwiz1]

Any updates?

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: MDE
Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

This was my initial concern. I mean if the eventual roadmap is bypass anyway, why not get it over with now?

My mom is super scared of anything that requires opening her up though, because her brother and my dad's older brother both died on the table in the last 4 years during "preventative minor heart surgery". Different hospitals too.

Your mother is quite right to be frightened,she needs to weigh the risks and benefits of all courses of possible treatment including the risk of doing nothing at all. I'm not sure how old your mother is but if it were me, I'd probably just let nature run it's course rather than pursue surgical options.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: MDE
Personally, I'd have the bypass and fix it for good instead of the angioplasty, which seems like a quick patch to me.

This was my initial concern. I mean if the eventual roadmap is bypass anyway, why not get it over with now?

My mom is super scared of anything that requires opening her up though, because her brother and my dad's older brother both died on the table in the last 4 years during "preventative minor heart surgery". Different hospitals too.

Your mother is quite right to be frightened,she needs to weigh the risks and benefits of all courses of possible treatment including the risk of doing nothing at all. I'm not sure how old your mother is but if it were me, I'd probably just let nature run it's course rather than pursue surgical options.

I don't think doing nothing is an option. The Dr. said that two of the blockages are 80% and without treatment will affect not only her daily life as they already have(gets tired easy, naps alot) but will bring on a heart attack much sooner than later, if at all.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Any updates?

Second opinion is scheduled for next week. I will post updates...