Rich Van Wyk/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The artery-clearing procedure performed this week on Former President Bill Clinton occurs thousands of times a day across the country. Clinton is one of millions of Americans living with heart disease.
Hundreds of times a year, Dr. Sandeep Dube inserts a tiny wire mesh stent into the clogged arteries of patients suffering heart disease. He says it can be the difference between life and death. A recent recipient of the procedure was having a heart attack, a critical artery was completely clogged and almost invisible on the x-ray images.
"The artery ends right there, while it should come all the way down here," Dr. Dube pointed out. After the stent was installed, Dr. Dube notes the "artery is wide open and healthy again."
The procedure took 53 minutes after the patient arrived at the Indiana Heart Hospital Emergency Room. The American Heart Association says 652,000 Americans received coronary stents in 2006.
The stents are inserted through an artery in the leg and guided into place by a wire catheter, then expanded with a tiny removable balloon.
Many patients experienced chest pains and other symptoms usually associated with a heart attack, but in reality, were caused by clogged blood vessels.
"You are talking about the large vessels on the top of the surface of the heart," said cardiologist Dr. Jennifer Sams.
"It is a treatment, not a cure. I always tell my patients, 'You have coronary disease, you have it for the rest of your life'," said Dr. Sams.
Because it is not a cure, doctors say it is common for patients to require additional stents.
You should look out for chest pain or pressure brought on by physical or emotional stress. For women, the symptoms aren't typical. Doctors say persistent tiredness, indigestion, back pain or even jaw pain could be signs of heart disease.
