Bypass Surgery or Stents???

Question

Hi my Dad (who is 51ish) had 2 heart attacks at age 37 and another at 39  (1997 and 1999).  He has been doing well up until a few weeks ago.  Long story short he had a stress test, which was abnormal, and then today he had an angiogram which showed that 1 of his previous 3 stents was 90% blocked as well as 2 new blockages also at 90%.  So the doctors have recommended for him to have bypass surgery since there are 3 blockages.  However he has also been given the option to have more stents put in and fix it that way.  One doctor says the stents aren't a good idea and the surgery is basically the only option, the other says the stents are a option to consider, though both recommend surgery.  In the long run, what is the best decision for his health?  The doctors didn't give us much information, they just gave the options and said to choose.  Would the stents be as effective as the surgery? Any help is appreciated

Cecemt · Answer

Thank you all for sharing your experience and opinions. He really doesn't want the bypass, truthfully he doesn't want either but that's obviously not an option. I think our dilemma is that the surgeon is telling us that bypass is the better choice, and cardiologist who did his angiogram says he can do the stents but his recommendation is surgery but neither really gave any information on it... the nurse that came in during the evening shift is the one who gave us some pamphlets on the issues. We just want to do what's going to be the best in the long run and last longer, your information has helped thank you all so much!

ed34 · Answer

There are apparently times when stents cannot be used due to the amount of disease present and the location of the blockage. However, in saying that, if you line up 100 cardiologists, there is probably one who could confidently do the procedure whereas the other 99 say no.

ChatterAlly · Answer

Bypass is so drastic.  I would never choose bypass over stents, but then, it's not my decision to make.  What is your father telling you he wants?  Take care, Ally

ed34 · Answer

I can't obviously tell you what decision to make, but I can give you something to consider. Bypass surgery is not a guarantee, so although they recommend it, this may not turn out to be the best solution. I was told the same thing in Sept 2007 and by Dec 2007 my bypass vessels had all failed, they collapsed. They give excuses that new surgical techniques now have a greater chance of preventing this, but it didn't with me. When I was admitted back into hospital, I was shocked to see so many patients with the same problems. Some had bypasses fail after a few weeks. It was a lot of discomfort to go through for nothing. I am not saying ALL bypasses fail, I'm just suggesting you keep in mind that many do. I have had 6 stents now and to be honest, if I could go back in time to start all over again, I would have stents every time. If the stents start to give problems then you can always have bypass surgery anyway. If a bypass fails, it's a lot more risky the second time around to have more grafts put in.
You have to obviously look at your Dads lifestyle and see why his arteries are still blocking so much. Maybe he isn't eating the right foods or something?