Relieve myocardial infarction with medicine: New hope for patients

Solutions for the heart that has "swallowed" with stent

Mr. Tran That Thanh came to the hospital with chest pain and difficulty breathing, especially when trying. Through examination, Associate Professor, Dr. Ho Thuong Dung - Director of Vinmec Central Park Cardiovascular Center - determined that the patient had narrowed coronary artery in the stent.

Previously, Mr. Thanh had twice placed a total of 4 stents. After nearly two decades of fighting coronary artery disease, the metal frames in his heart gradually became an artery that made blood difficult to circulate. If not treated promptly, the patient will have a myocardial infarction, facing the risk of death at any time.

If you add a stent, it is no different than adding a new layer of metal to the tube because there are many layers of metal mixed with thick plaque, causing the blood vessels to become less flexible and increasing the risk of narrowing sooner like the layers of onion shells, Dr. Dung analyzed.

At the same time, weak physical condition and many underlying diseases will cause open heart surgery to have a high risk of complications and prolong recovery time. Faced with this difficult problem, the Vinmec medical team decided to choose the method of stentless intervention with a medicine coating. This solution helps dilate the vessel, restore blood flow and ensure long-term safety for patients.

With the support of a modern OCT endovascular imaging diagnostic system, doctors accurately determined the location of the lesion, performed a specialized ballistics to expand the old stent frame and pump the bulb to cover the narrow location with thuoc. The special class of drugs penetrates the capillary walls, inhibiting increased fibrosis - the main cause of narrowing.

Just one day after the intervention, Mr. Thanh was able to walk easily, significantly reducing symptoms of breast pain and shortness of breath.

New steps in treating coronary artery disease

To limit the risk of narrowing, Mr. Thanh was advised to use drugs to control blood lipid, especially control LDL-cholesterol - the main factor in the formation of plaque fibroids. In addition, he needs to maintain a healthy diet, exercise properly, monitor periodically and see a doctor when there are signs of abnormality.

According to Dr. Ho Thuong Dung, the drug bulb is currently considered a big step forward in the treatment of coronary artery disease in the world, especially in cases of narrowing in the stent or complex branch damage. This method helps patients not need open surgery, thereby reducing the risk of complications and significantly shortening recovery time. At the same time, limiting the placement of stents helps avoid accumulating too many metal frames in the vessel, keeping blood vessels more flexible. Thanks to that, the risk of narrowing is also reduced, bringing stable and long-term treatment results.

Today, the drug lenses are expanded to be used in some other situations such as double joint damage, new joint damage... However, many cardiovascular interventions are still hesitant to apply this technique. The reason is that this method requires experience, especially the need to use pure endovascular imaging to accurately determine the location, extent and nature of the lesion. Without a modern imaging system such as OCT or IVUS, the intervention will have the potential risk of failure.

Vinmec Cardiovascular Center is one of the units that boldly applies this technique to complex cases because we are equipped with a modern imaging equipment system and a team of experienced experts, said Dr. Dung.

The success of the case also affirms the effectiveness of the multi-mold - multi-specialty - multi-photo model in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases at Vinmec. The patients were all given a comprehensive assessment, from coronary artery, cerebrovascular, and limb artery conditions to risk factors such as blood fat, diabetes, blood pressure, etc. Based on the comprehensive assessment results, the doctors will consult with interdisciplinary departments to develop the most personalized treatment strategy for each patient, ensuring not only "survival after the case" but also healthy living, living fully with a new heart rate.