Coronary artery stenting (PCI), one of the effective weapons in the treatment of coronary heart disease, can effectively relieve angina symptoms and save the lives of patients with acute myocardial infarction.
Yu Mengyue, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fu Wai Hospital, Beijing
However, many patients believe that stenting is a “radical” procedure that can solve coronary heart disease once and for all, which is one of the most common misconceptions, because after stenting, conventional medication and lifestyle management have to be continued.
Take medication as prescribed by your doctor
1. Aspirin
If there are no adverse reactions and contraindications, aspirin should be taken for life, and aspirin enteric soluble tablets (100mg/tablet) can be used.
2. Clopidogrel (etc.)
Two anti-platelet drugs are generally required after surgery, including the above-mentioned aspirin, and another commonly used drug, clopidogrel, and tigretol, which has just been released in China. The duration of administration needs to be determined according to the type of stent and the patient’s condition, etc., and is generally taken for 1 year.
3. Statin lipid-regulating drugs such as atorvastatin and resulvastatin
Patients have a serious misunderstanding of these drugs, and many people stop taking them after their blood lipids are checked to be “normal”, which is a big mistake. Unless there are some special circumstances, even if the blood lipid level is “normal”, the drug should be taken for a long time.
4. Other drugs, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
(such as “**pril”), beta-blockers (such as betalactam) such drugs as the cornerstone of coronary artery disease, the role should not be ignored, especially for those patients with myocardial infarction, but not necessarily all patients need or tolerate, need to follow medical advice.
II Regular follow-up
The first follow-up is usually 2-3 weeks after surgery, and the doctor will review the relevant laboratory tests and adjust the dosage of medication according to the individual patient’s condition. Be sure to keep in mind that the dosage of many coronary heart disease medications is not fixed, such as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, etc. Moreover, each drug may have side effects on the organism and should be monitored with follow-up, for example, statins may trigger side effects such as elevated liver enzymes.
III Life management
1. Exercise
Each surgical patient’s ability to tolerate exercise varies, and is related to factors such as heart function, degree of stenosis, and stent opening. Some patients may not return to the original level of activity after surgery, and they need to resume exercise gradually according to the doctor’s advice, not to increase exercise suddenly in a short period of time.
2. Diet
Basically follow the principle of “low salt and low fat”, eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, soybean products and dairy products, etc. It is not advisable to eat a lot of animal offal and high fat and high cholesterol food. Limit alcohol consumption, the recommended daily limit of alcohol consumption: 50ml of white wine, 300ml of beer, 100ml of red wine.
3. Quit smoking
Quit smoking, there is no doubt about it. Cigarettes not only accelerate the process of atherosclerosis, but also can directly lead to coronary artery damage, spasm, etc.. Therefore, whether or not suffering from coronary heart disease, should be strictly quit smoking, including second-hand smoke.
4. Weight control
Obesity is “the root of all evil”, high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood pressure, can be secondary to obesity. Teach you a method to estimate whether you are obese, calculate the body mass index (BMI) with weight (kg) / height * height (m), the normal value of 18,. 5-23.9, > 24 called overweight, > 28 called obese, and the eighth edition of the book of internal medicine has been > 24 called “obesity”. You calculate, if overweight, hurry to lose weight.
5. Optimistic mood, sufficient sleep
Research proves that most patients with coronary heart disease have combined psychological problems, including anxiety and depression, etc. Moreover, bad mood may aggravate and trigger myocardial ischemic attacks, so it is especially important to maintain a stable and optimistic mood. At the same time, sufficient sleep will make your day full of energy, I personally recommend to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep.
6. Monitor blood pressure and control blood sugar
To treat coronary heart disease, it is important to control blood pressure and blood sugar at the same time, one of these links is indispensable.
In summary, I believe that if each patient can actually fulfill the above recommendations, they will be able to maintain their health and slow down the progress of the disease to the greatest extent. Of course, stent surgery is not a panacea, not all patients with coronary heart disease need to be evaluated by professional doctors, and, stent surgery, not a one-off, strict medication + stent implantation, is the fundamental treatment of coronary heart disease.