Plavix for drug eluting stents
Common Questions and Answers about Plavix for drug eluting stents
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I have three drug eluting stents in the LAD, two non-drug eluting stents and three drug eluting stents in my RCA. I stayed on Plavix for 1.5 years after the last stent, and been off Plavix for over a year with no restinosis. I do exercise daily, take Vytorin, 81mg aspirin, and follow a healthy heart diet very carefully. So far, no problems with restenosis, but believe me, I think about it every day.
Thank you everyone for the comments. They have been very helpful. I did speak to my dr. in reference to the chest pain and how I have been feeling lately being on Ticlid. And she told me to take some Xanax and either I make a choice between taking the Plavix or Ticlid. I told her that the Plavix was out of the question and I would deal with the side effects of the Ticlid. She is telling me that there is really no other medicine out there because of me being so sensitive to give to me.
With bare metal stents you take both medication for 30 days; with DES drug-eluting stents, you take both for one year and sometimes longer.
I had a DES implant about 7 years ago, and I was on Plavix for a year but continue with aspirin. Both Plavix and aspirin are anti-platelet medication but have different mechanisms that act to prevent restenosis. A successul implant will have a thin scar indicating the lesion healed well and Plavix is now not considered an option for clot prevention.
There are some cardiologists who argue it should be taken for life. Why? because some patients have developed clots in drug eluting stents when plavix has been stopped, even after a year. Some people seem more prone to this than others and the reasons have yet to be identified. I think it's just a choice of words problem here, collapse is being used as in failing to perform its intended task.
I have both DES and drug eluting stents and have had heart attacks, and took Plavix for several years. About a year ago I went off Plavix and have not experienced a heart attack or restinosis. I remain on 81mg aspirin.
While still taking Plavix, I had the misfortune of developing a bowel obstruction which required emergency surgery. The fact that I was was taking Plavix was a major concern, and the surgery took place expecting bleeding problems.
I had 2 Cypher Drug Eluting Stents placed in the LAD and One Cypher DES placed in the RCA and ONE TAXUS Drug eluting stent placed in the RCA. (2004-2005) Last month, Cath doctor noted the TAXUS Drug eluting stent was nearly closed. The Cypher Stents were all wide open. You just never know.
Good Luck to you.
The Gastric Bypass requires me to be off of Plavix for 7-14 days. My cardiologist is opposed to discontinuation of platelet therapy for a short time in order to have a proceddure. I want to know why it is recommended to remain on plavix for a minimum of 12 months after the stent? Does the risk of thormbosis decrease so significantly at 12 months that it is worth the risk of another Major Cardiac Event?
You don't mention plavix (clopidogrel) as part of your medication regime? so I assume you had bare metal stents inserted? These are notorious for restenosis, hence the large amount of research and development that went into producing the drug eluting stent, which inhibit scar tissue growth in the stent far more significantly. What options do you have? well, there are just three as far as I can see. First is to try and give a better flow through the bypass conduits by stenting them.
Some doctors recommend 1 to 2 years on Plavix with coated stents. Other doctors recommend being on Plavix for the rest of the persons life. It is extremely important that you stay on Plavix for as long as your doctor recommends. Going off of Plavix could mean a blood clot with a severe heart attack. You will need to talk to your doctor to find out how urgent it is to have the skin cancers removed and cataract done. Replacing the 2 wire pacemaker with the 3 wire pacemaker is a surgery.
13th I had a major heart attack and SCD. Was sent to the heart hospital where two stents, one bare metal and one drug eluting, were implanted in the LAD. Five days later a pacemaker/defibrillator was implanted. The next week I was hospitalized for a blood clot near the area of the implant, then back into hospital for AFib, after which I had an infected right arm from the IV. Three months ago I had a very infected left breast, also many cysts-- which is not unusual for me.
I had 2 stents (RCA & LAD) July, 2012 at CCF. Have been on Plavix for 13 months and find I need Hernia surgery now as I am having having many problems due to the Hernia. What is the possibility of having surgery? If I have surgery is the Plavix stopped for a number of days and then resumed?
I had a Cypher stent installed back in 2007 at PL Branch...I need back surgery and the surgeon wants me off Plavix 10-14 days..After informing my Cardiologist, he said okay, in fact he said it has been 4 years with no problems, so just stay off the Plavix permanently...After reading so many horror stories, I am concerned...I have been on Plavix for 4 years along with an 81 Mg aspirin. I think I will continue the aspirin...but this is day 3 and no problems thus far..
This is usually when the first stent was a bare metal variety and has formed scar tissue, causing restenosis. Then a drug eluting stent is inserted inside which is coated with chemicals to inhibit scar tissue formation. I know that bare metal stents are cheaper but I really don't know why they don't bin them now.
From what I gather strict adherance to the drug regime for stents, especially Plavix, is critical to prevent stent blockage. So I will be doing that and looking at radical diet changes and going back to exercise soon. I had been exercisiing the last two years and eating fairly well already, but now will look at what I can do to improve that as clearly something is wrong with my habits and possibly my genetics.
Some people are on Plavix for the rest of their life after stents. I know a lot of doctors that are now recommending that their patients stay on Plavix. Plavix works more like aspirin. Coumadin works more on the deep thrombus blood clots. Is your husband getting his blood drawn every month while on the Coumadin? Doctor's usually watch their patients closely and ordered a blood draw every three weeks to a month when on Coumadin.
With the newer Drug eluting stents this risk has dramatically been reduced. 2) clotting. This is a problem with both bare metal stents and drug eluting stents. Plavix is a medication (usually given with aspirin), which helps inhibit platelet activity, hence reducing the clotting problem.
I had a stent put into my Obtuse Marginal (OM1) three years ago, and an angiogram has shown there is no blockage of any kind forming.
I used to have stress induced palpitation for a few years before I had a stress EKG done and that showed ST depression and culminated a PCI for 20% obstruction in my LAD with 1 drug eluting stent. That was 1 year ago. I never had any chest symptoms otherwise.
That resolved my supra ventricular palpitation since. However, a repeat stress echo done recently showed ST depression, but a normal echo.
I am on lipitor 20mg, aspirin & bisoprolol 2.5 mg. My BP is 125/70 HR = 60.
LDL = 2.8 mMol.
When you remove the netting, most of the wall will be unpainted. This is what happens with Drug Eluting Stents, being a MESH they only deliver the drug to around 1-2% of the artery lining. The remainder is not inhibited against forming scar tissue. Now the latest development, the Drug Eluting Balloon. This guy is brilliant in its simplicity.
The current recommendation is to take aspirin and Plavix for at LEAST one year after drug eluting stent placement. Two years likely makes it safer for you to be off the medicines for a short while ie, 7 days. However you might ask your surgeon if you could remain on aspirin 81 mg. and not stop this medicine and only stop the Plavix which might lower your risk of a cardiac event in the post surgical time.
To lower your risk of restenosis, ask them to use drug eluting stents and make sure you take Plavix for at least a year. As they go down the rca continually ballooning it, you will feel some chest discomfort for a few seconds at a time. This is normal and nothing to worry about. I think they will give you strong meds for this procedure to keep you comfortable. I had virtually the same thing done to my LAD in sept09 and it took about two hours.
Hi you seems to have more than 1 arterial diseas and treated wit intracoronary stents. were they drug eluting stents or not ? İt must be so. İn any case if you developed recurring chet pain with exercise you must be evaluated in a short time of period. the reasons that caused severe stenosis of your arteries is not always reversible and new stenoses could be there. But stent restenosis could be another problem. Higher the nunber higher the rate of restenosis.
If the discomfort started a few days after the procedure, ring your cardiologists secretary and find out if bare metal stents were used, or drug eluting stents. Bare metal stents are prone to allow too much scar tissue to grow inside the artery with some people, causing a new blockage. The usual answer to this is to have a drug eluting stent inserted inside the existing bare metal one.
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