How long does it take to recover from stent surgery

  After coronary stenting, patients are not limited in their daily activities and are recommended to engage in appropriate physical activity, but should avoid strenuous exercise.  Many patients are very careful in their daily activities because they are worried about the risk of “dislodging” after stent implantation. In fact, there is no need to be overly nervous because the stent is generally made of special alloy material, which has strong support and corrosion resistance, and the shaping function is also more reliable and will hardly rust and collapse. In addition, the high pressure given during stent expansion during surgery makes the stent firmly embedded in the arterial wall, as if it were growing on it, and thus displacement and dislodgement rarely occur. Clinical studies have found that moderate exercise rehabilitation after stenting can not only reduce the stenosis rate of recanalized vessels, but also reduce platelet aggregation, increase fibrinolysis, prevent re-infarction and improve cardiac function. At the same time, it can also reduce the patient’s nervousness to a certain extent and help him/her rebuild confidence in life. Of course, this requires patients to choose exercises that are suitable for them under the guidance of their doctors, especially for those with serious conditions, who should also be given cardiac monitoring at the beginning of the exercise.  Due to the individual differences of patients and the complexity of cardiac rehabilitation, the attending physician will usually assess the patient’s cardiopulmonary function, aerobic capacity, skeletal muscle strength, flexibility, coordination, psychology and balance, etc. The patient will generally be divided into three levels: low risk, medium risk and high risk, and the “exercise prescription” will be tailored for each level. The “exercise prescription” is tailored to each level. Only when the exact status of the patient is known, then the form, frequency, intensity and duration of exercise that is appropriate for the patient will be selected. Just like a meal, a fixed form is timed and rationed for one person.  Exercise for stent patients should be gradual exercise is an important part of the post-stenting rehabilitation period, and exercise rehabilitation is effective, but it should not be rushed and needs to be gradual. Generally speaking, exercise rehabilitation after stent surgery is divided into three periods – inpatient, early discharge and long-term out-of-hospital, with different exercise strategies and goals for different periods and a progressive relationship between the three. For example, during the inpatient period, if the patient’s condition is stable (just angina, etc.), exercise rehabilitation can be considered 24 hours after surgery; if the condition is unstable (such as acute heart attack, large heart attack, etc.), it needs to be performed 3-7 days after surgery (specific reference should be made to the important opinion of the rehabilitation counselor). The main purpose of inpatient exercise rehabilitation is to improve the patient’s postoperative tolerance, shorten the length of hospital stay, prevent complications and prepare for early recovery from hospital discharge.  Stenting surgery hardly affects patients’ normal daily life, and they can exercise moderately and carry out sports rehabilitation exercises according to their different conditions and under the advice of their doctors.