unstable angina

[ed34]

I have been really thinking about what the cardiologist said about my LAD and that he believes it could be unstable angina. If my LAD is full of stents from top to bottom, can it spasm? Do stents actually get squeezed together and then expand again? I was under the impression that a stent held an artery fully open and it was unable to expand or contract. If an artery is strong enough to squash a stent, then wouldn't that make a mess of every procedure done to millions of people? surely they would all have 'flat' stents laying in their arteries?
Maybe I'm not thinking about it in the right way.
HELP :)

[ed34]

I'm only going by what the cardiologist said. He saw the artery having lots of spasms during the procedure, but I agree with you. It could be happening in the smaller branches also. I'm STILL waiting for my Nitro patches. My GP should have got the letter a week ago and I still haven't heard anything. I think I'll ring them tomorrow and chase them up.

[joanincarolina]

Regarding the spasm of the LAD; who knows where it originates? It doesn't have to be in the large part of the coronary but down further into  the microcirculation.Joan.

[ed34]

Yes, the artery itself. It's believed that the artery will completely heal and the stent will no longer be required. It seems a bit odd though doesnt it. I mean the stent is there because when you balloon all that muck into the wall, it can collapse. So nothing removes the muck, it's simply believed new tissue will grow over it. I suppose its a bit like burying the rubbish so nobody can see it.
I've also read that they are trying to develop a synthetic HDL lipid so after a number of injections our arteries will be much cleaner. I think such a development will cause a war with the statin makers.

[kenkeith]

"I still prefer the idea of a stent which dissolves into nothing over time, but I think a lot of trials will have to be done to see any shortcomings, such as arteries collapsing with the support gone"

>>>I have read the new generation of stents would be stents that dissolve.  Do you know what is going to support vessel walls if the brace of stents are disolved?.

[ed34]

I'm still waiting for the new biodegradeable stents but the ones with memory. Years ago a polymer was developed which could have a shape memory built in at room temperature. You enter the stent, it warms up in the artery and it gradually expands into the shape pre-specified. Over a few months it then breaks down completely. This application will be good for helping other areas of the body recover, such as the urinary tract. When those stents are pulled out, the tissue has started to attach itself to the stent and some damage is caused. I still prefer the idea of a stent which dissolves into nothing over time, but I think a lot of trials will have to be done to see any shortcomings, such as arteries collapsing with the support gone.

[kenkeith]

From a Jan. 4, 2010 report.  This stent is part of a new generation of self-expandable nitinol stents (better elasticity and springback compared to stainless steel). In this particular stent design, the radial force has been calculated to achieve less chronic outward force — an issue with previous designs — while maintaining a similar crush-resistant force to that of balloon-expandable stents. Even though the stent tends to expand gradually over time, the resulting radial force level is half or less than that of earlier self-expandable coronary stents. At the same time, the stent is able to maintain a stable crush-resistant force, avoiding collapse following implantation. This generation is a major advance in the development of self-expandable nitinol stents, offering better bio-mechanics compared with first-generation self-expandable coronary stents.