As I have written before, many, many times, our Patient Forum on Angioplasty.Org is filled with thousands of patients asking questions that were not sufficiently answered by their doctors, patients wanting to know more about their procedure, their disease, why they feel the way they do after the procedure, how much activity is “safe”, why they still have a pain in their leg, etc., etc., etc.
But every once in a while, the “complaint department” aspect of our Forum is overshadowed by a positive report of how this procedure literally saved someone’s life or, at least, their heart muscle.
So, for some perspective on the value of angioplasty and stents, here is a Forum post to our topic: “Angioplasty Success Stories” from Binay S. in England:
I was rushed into hospital on Wednesday 18th May. Within 25 min I had an angioplasty and one stent placed. Remarkable how quick the procedure was. I just couldn’t believe it. I had a feeling in my chest and the side of my neck — not a pain, just a weird feeling, as if I had indigestion — except it was in the centre of my chest. I had this feeling at 9am on 18 May 2011. I was driving to work, came back home immediately and called the ambulance. They did ECGs and sent them to the Freeman Hospital Newcastle which fortunately is exactly a mile away from where I live. They told the ambulance to bring me in, as there seemed to be a problem. I reached the hospital at approx. 10:15am. I was back in the ward by 11am how amazing was that!! Remarkable team. Remarkable hospital.
This story, and the many like it, are hardly ever reported in the mainstream media, which tends to focus on the controversial “stable angina patient” — which is a bit nuts since, according to a recent study of a half-million angioplasty patients from the NCDR database, over 70% of all angioplasty in the United States is performed for acute coronary syndromes — urgent revascularization that includes heart attack and pre-heart attack states.
Just sayin’….