Cardiac surgery is one of the leading areas in Israeli medicine due to combination of highly qualified cardiologists, modern equipment in clinics and the implementation of innovative methods for cardiovascular diseases treatment. Every year, more than two tens of thousands of heart surgeries are performed in Israeli cardiac centers, including minimally invasive stenting (angioplasty) of coronary vessels with a minimum period of postoperative rehabilitation.
Indications for stenting (angioplasty)
Statistially, every second natural death in the world is the result of cardiovascular diseases. coronary heart disease takes the first place among them. It is a pathological disturbance of the blood supply to the heart muscle due to partial or complete blockage of the coronary vessels that supply blood to the myocardium.
Ischemia is caused by the deposition of fats, cholesterol and calcium on the walls of coronary vessels, and as a result blood flow lumen narrows or becomes completely blocked. At the same time, the walls of blood vessels themselves become inelastic, which complicates the movement of blood even more. Stenting allows to expand the narrowed area of the coronary artery and restore normal blood supply to the heart.
Israeli cardiologists recommend stenting (angioplasty) in the presence of coronary heart disease and other pathological conditions of the cardiovascular system:
- progressive angina pectoris;
- acute myocardial infarction;
- post-infarction angina;
- painless CHD.
Stenting can be either elective or urgent, depending on the degree of vascular damage and the stage of the disease.
Description of angioplasty surgery
For stenting, a special metal stent made of biocompatible material is used. It is opened from the inside with the an inflated miniature balloon and by that it expands the narrowed lumen. The balloon stent is inserted using a miniature catheter a couple of millimeters in diameter through an artery in the leg.
The operation is considered minimally invasive and is performed under local anesthesia with the catheter monitored via an intraoperative radiograph. After the stent reaches the narrowed area, the balloon expands and thereby opens the stent, which is firmly attached to the vessel walls, preventing their further narrowing. After that, the balloon catheter is removed, and the patient is transferred to the ward for postoperative rehabilitation, which lasts about six hours with complete rest, and in two days after the surgery the patient is discharged.
Contraindications
- If there is a great damage to the coronary vessels and / or a severe blockage, when it is impossible to insert the catheter through the narrowing, or if the walls are too fragile, coronary artery bypass grafting is performed.
- Routine stenting is not recommended for pregnant women due to the use of intraoperative X-rays during surgery.
- Angioplasty is not performed in the presence of acute heart failure.
Stenting of coronary vessels in Israel
Stents made of innovative materials are used in Israeli clinics. They have an extremely low degree of rejection and prevent overgrowth of scar tissue. These can be either permanent metal frames with the medication applied to prevent scarring, or biodegradable (temporary) stents that dissolve after the formation of healthy tissue of vessel wall.
Israeli heart centers are equipped with the most advanced medical and diagnostic equipment, which, combined with the high level of qualification of internationally recognized cardiac surgeons, allows performing thousands of successful angioplasty operations per year. This has made Israeli clinics the center of global medical tourism for ischemic patients from all over the world. Also, all conditions present in Israel for comfortable rehabilitation, which includes physical therapy, terrenkur and other moderate physical exercises under the supervision of doctors.