odd sensations in chest after stent placement

aurelia · Silver Member Joined: 21 Apr 2000 Posts: 246

I have had angioplasty done and a stent placed in the artery to prevent restenosis. I have been fine since the surgery but lately I noticed some strange sensations in chest. The sensation/discomfort usually shows up when I overwork or after a long walk. I was wondering if this was supposed to be happening, like is it normal to feel this after stent placement or should I see a doc?

lenore · Silver Member Joined: 01 Sep 2001 Posts: 278

I have the same thing going on. I have been given a drug eluding stent and have started experiencing this pain in the chest area. I went to see my doc and I am about to undergo some testing this week. I am going to have EKG done, stress test and some other tests to see what’s going on. I suggest you saw your doc too. I guess that if this was normal, my doc wouldn’t be ordering all of this testing, right?

haddoccd · Newbie Joined: 07 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

In 2004, I went to an ER by recommendation of my primary healthcare physician. They did an EKG, heart scans, stress tests (which I couldn't finish because of the pain) and found nothing. They then set me up to do a heart cath procedure. They found what was causing my chest pain...a 90% blocked artery in my heart.

In March 2007, after mentioning having this same pain to my wife, and the fact that this pain was in the identical area as the stent I went to the ER.

The hospital immediately ran all the same tests done the first time. The same results...nothing wrong. I then underwent another heart cath. According to the Cardiologist that did the cath, "Everything is fine...all major arteries are open and your stent looks fine. Maybe some of your minor arteries are blocked causing the pain...or maybe you're having acid reflux". He prescribed a long acting vasodialation medication and Nexium for the acid reflux. Neither helped...in fact the Nexium is hard to come off of. If you didn't have acid reflux before the Nexium, you will when you discontinue it. Ironically, when I was coming off of the Nexium and felt the pain of acid reflux, I was having the stent pain at the same time...which told me it wasn't acid reflux.

After racking up a giant hospital bill, I still have the pain only now...everyone thinks I'm dreaming this pain up. I was encouraged to find someone else is experiencing the same thing I am.

In summary, I don't know what to say to you guys...hopefully your doctor visit will yield more than mine did. I did recently buy an New England Journal of Medicine article that mentions the stent I had placed as having potential issues (even known by the FDA). My stent is a Cordis CYPHER Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent. I'm going to investigate this article's concerns to see if that will give me some new direction in the search to alleviate this pain. To find the articles I did, just Google "Heart Stent Problems". I warn you...there are law suits going on regarding stent placements.

Guest · Guest

I had a heart stent put in on 5/18/07 and even though I did experience some shortness of breath after 24-48 hours and my heart was pounding harder, this went away and was fine for 2 weeks when I started to experience moderately bad more localized pain over the area of my heart. Another angiogram was done and they inserted 3 more stents in the same coronay vessel (but different from the first heart stent). When I went home, I did start to experience moderate pain over the area of my heart even though upon dismissal from the hospital my doctor said if I felt a twinge here and there it couldn't be from my heart (likely musculosceletal). I still have this pain which is concerning me since I really can't do too much when I'm experiencing it. If I knew this was normal and not a problem with my heart I wouldn't be concerned, but I just don't know. I hope someone can relieve my concerns.

Shark31468 · Newbie Joined: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I had 2 stents placed in my LAD on May 9th 2008, felt decent for the first week but began having the same type of pains, these pains tend to just flare up like little pin pokes or crakling for a few minutes over a couple of hours when i get them. i complained for 60 days but was told its in my head or might be gastro but not my heart. On july 16th my chest felt very uncomfortable and i went back to the hospital and another 80% blockage was found in my RCA and they stented that, yesterday the little pings and pangs of pain strated again and my chest feels a little heavy. I had an Endoscopy and my stomach and esophagus are good.

my regulr doctor and cardiologist say i should not feel any pain. anyone else out there who has had stents who feel little pricks or pains around the heart area?

odd sensations in chest after stent placement

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK