Question 1: Are drug-eluting (coated) stents superior to bare metal stents? A: Metal stents are currently the most commonly used stents in clinical practice and are mainly categorized into drug-eluting (coated) stents and bare metal stents. Bare metal stents refer to the surface of the stent without drug coating. Drug-eluting (coated) stent means that the surface of the stent is coated with a special anti-endothelial proliferation drug, such as rapamycin and paclitaxel. The advantages of bare metal stents are lower price and shorter duration of postoperative antiplatelet drugs, usually about 6 months; the disadvantage is that the chance of restenosis is significantly increased compared with drug-coated stents. The advantage of drug-coated stents is that they can significantly reduce the incidence of restenosis in coronary intervention; the disadvantage is that they are expensive, and the dual antiplatelet drugs are taken for a long period of time (at least 1 year), and the incidence of late thrombosis is high. At present, more than 90% of implanted metal stents are drug-coated stents, but the choice of what type of stent should be based on the specific conditions of cardiovascular specialists to seek advice on the choice, but not implanted drug stents are necessarily better. Question 2: After stent implantation, is it no longer necessary to take medication? A: Many patients mistakenly think that they can stop taking medication once and for all after stent implantation and stop taking all oral medication on their own, the consequence of which is the re-formation of thrombus in the stent, restenosis and even acute myocardial infarction, which is life-threatening. Drug therapy is the foundation of all coronary heart disease treatment. Whether you choose to implant a stent or coronary artery bypass graft, drug therapy is indispensable. After receiving stent implantation treatment, patients with coronary heart disease should not take it lightly, and should insist on taking medication on time according to the doctor’s instructions. Question 3: Can’t I have an MRI after stent implantation? A: First of all, you should understand why you can’t do MRI with metal objects on your body, because the MRI machine can be compared to a powerful magnetic field, and metal objects will be attracted by the powerful magnetic field and move, leading to serious consequences or even life-threatening. Whether or not you can have an MRI after stent placement depends on the material you implant the stent in. The main materials of cardiac stents have gone through three stages: stainless steel, nickel-titanium alloy or cobalt-chromium alloy, and a new generation of soluble degradable stents. Currently, most of the coronary stents used clinically are made of 316L stainless steel or nickel-titanium alloy, and a few stents may contain platinum, cobalt alloy, gold, tantalum, etc. Most of the coronary stents exhibit non-ferromagnetism or weak magnetism, and non-magnetic stents can be subjected to MRI after 2 weeks, and weakly magnetic ones are recommended to be subjected to MRI after 6 weeks. There are several trials confirming that several drug-eluting stents, which are currently commonly used in clinical practice, can undergo MRI immediately after implantation. Nonetheless, given the possible risks associated with MRI in patients with stent implantation, it is important for such patients to seek the advice of a cardiologist and radiologist prior to the examination. Question 4: Can’t I exercise and work out after stent implantation or it may lead to displacement of the stent? A: After implantation of stents, many patients are always worried about whether the stent will shift or not, whether it will fall off after strenuous exercise, and they are even careful about wearing clothes. In fact, this kind of concern is not necessary. After the stent is implanted in the body, with the prolongation of time (from a few months to a year), the cells on the coronary blood vessels will grow, migrate and finally cover the surface of the entire stent, so that the stent becomes a part of the human body’s blood vessels, and at this time, even how strenuous the activities won’t cause the stent to dislocate or fall out. It does not affect daily life and exercise at all. It is generally recommended that physical exercise should start one month after the operation, and low to medium intensity exercise such as jogging is appropriate, and strenuous exercise is not advocated. Question 5: Is everything all right after having a stent? A: Cardiac stents can temporarily smooth the flow of blood, but they do not have the effect of removing plaque and lipids from the coronary arteries. Moreover, the wall of the blood vessel at the place where the stent is implanted will become thinner and thinner with the accumulation of stagnant blood and lipids, and there is a risk of rupture of the blood vessel if it is not taken care of over the course of time. Therefore, not everything will be fine after cardiac stenting. Regular medication, control of risk factors and regular checkups are also essential after the procedure.