Patient Education Caring For Your Heart Booklet | Page 10

A balloon catheter is infl ated in an area
of blockage, which puts pressure on
the plaque to fl atten it and open the
narrowed artery. This allows the blood
to fl ow more freely through the vessel.
The doctor will usually place a stent at
the site of a coronary artery blockage to
help maintain the improved blood fl ow.
Since there are a variety of stents and
they range in size, you will be given a
card that identifi es the stent that was
used for your procedure. Keep this card
with you at all times.
When a stent is placed during your
procedure, you may be prescribed an
antiplatelet medication to help keep the
artery open at the site of the new stent.
Your doctor will prescribe either Plavix ®
(clopidogrel), Effi ent ® (prasugrel), or
Brilinta ® (ticagrelor) in conjunction
with a dose of aspirin. It is extremely
important to take the antiplatelet
medication and aspirin as prescribed,
and they should only be discontinued by
your cardiologist.
Cardiac Cat