Spokesman says former president is 'in good spirits' after receiving stents
updated 5:11 p.m. ET,Thurs., Feb. 11, 2010
Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized Thursday in New York City after experiencing chest pains, according to a spokesman.
"Today President Bill Clinton was admitted to the Columbia Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest," spokesman Doug Band said in a statement. "Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries."
"President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts," said the spokesman.
A stent is small mesh tube that is used to treat narrowed or weakened arteries.
A hospital source said that Clinton called the head of cardiology at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital two days ago, saying that he was not feeling well. Clinton was originally scheduled to come in to the hospital Wdnesday but postponed the appointment until Thursday.
Clinton's wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, planned to New York City Thursday from Washington D.C., NBC confirmed.
In 2004, Clinton underwent a successful quadruple bypass operation to free four blocked arteries.
NBC's Robert Windrem and Andrea Mitchell contributed to this report.
What is a stent?
A stent is a wire metal mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty. The stent is collapsed to a small diameter and put over a balloon catheter. It's then moved into the area of the blockage. When the balloon is inflated, the stent expands, locks in place and forms a scaffold. This holds the artery open. The stent stays in the artery permanently, holds it open, improves blood flow to the heart muscle and relieves symptoms (usually chest pain). Within a few weeks of the time the stent was placed, the inside lining of the artery grows over the metal surface of the stent.
How common are stents?
Stenting is a fairly common procedure; in fact, over 70 percent of coronary angioplasty procedures also include stents.
What are the advantages?
In certain patients, stents reduce the renarrowing that occurs after balloon angioplasty or other procedures that use catheters. Stents also help restore normal blood flow and keep an artery open if it's been torn or injured by the balloon catheter.
Can stented arteries reclose?
Yes. Reclosure (restenosis) is also a problem with the stent procedure. In recent years doctors have used new types of stents called drug-eluting stents. These are coated with drugs that are slowly released and help keep the blood vessel from reclosing. Stents that are not coated with drugs are called bare metal stents. It is very important that patients with either type of stent take their anti-clotting medicines as directed.
What happens next?
Patients who've had a stent procedure must take one or more blood-thinning agents. Examples are aspirin and clopidogrel. These medications help reduce the risk of a blood clot developing in the stent and blocking the artery. Some recent studies have suggested that blood clots may develop later on (more than a year after stent placement) in the drug-eluting stents.
MSNBC.com
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