Bypass Surgery or Stent

[scott125]

I recently had a heart cath and discovered my LAD is blocked in several places at 70%.  My cardiologist shared with me that a stent would have been the first choice, however, the placement of the stent would have blocked blood flow to two other arteries that run off my LAD right where one of the stents would be place and that would cause chest pain for me. We are meeting to discuss bypass surgery. I'm nervous about bypass surgery but want to do the right thing.  Should I get a second opinion?  I trust my cardiologist but friends and family say to get a second opion.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Get a second opinion.  Have someone else look at your catheterization.  Make sure you bring the actual film to the visit.  Depending on the location of the blockages, your age and the presence of other comorbid conditions such as diabetes or heart failure are taken into consideration when deciding on one modality versus the other.  If you aren't diabetic or have heart failure, or are very young, I would say that stenting is the better option, not because of better long term outcome because those are equivalent between bypass and intervention, but because the procedure doesn't entail opening your chest and undergoing major cardiovascular surgery.