Drug ballooning generally refers to intracoronary drug balloon dilatation, after which patients are required to take lifelong medications such as antiplatelet drugs and lipid-lowering drugs.
Intracoronary drug balloon dilatation is an interventional therapy that releases a drug (usually paclitaxel) through a drug-eluting balloon catheter into the diseased blood vessel to inhibit neointimal hyperplasia, thereby reducing the occurrence of restenosis.
A double combination of antiplatelet drugs, including aspirin combined with clopidogrel or tegretol, is usually required for one year after drug ballooning. After one year, patients are admitted to the hospital for review of the imaging, and if there is no obvious abnormality, they can choose one antiplatelet drug for life. In addition, patients are usually required to take lipid-lowering drugs such as atorvastatin for life, and those who are accompanied by high blood pressure need to take blood pressure-lowering drugs such as amlodipine for life.
Patients after drug balloon dilatation should follow the doctor’s instructions to take medication regularly, do not arbitrarily stop taking medication, so as not to affect the condition.