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Update: On October 4, the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign confirmed that the senator suffered a heart attack and was in Desert Springs, Las Vegas. Hospital medical center for treatment. Campaign spokesman Mike Kaska said Sanders will travel to Burlington, Vermont, to recover before returning to the campaign trail. Live Science published this article on October 2 (image below).
Senator Bernie Sanders has reportedly suspended his presidential campaign after undergoing emergency heart surgery.
The sudden medical procedure raised questions: How serious was this heart condition, and how might it affect Sanders' future health?
The Vermont senator experienced some chest discomfort at a campaign event last night (October 1), Sanders' senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement issued today (October 2) , according to the Washington prosecutor,
"Following medical evaluation and testing, he (Sanders) was found to have a blocked artery and two stents were successfully implanted. Senator Sanders was talking and mood Very good.
Stents are a treatment for coronary artery disease, a narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries that is the most common form of heart disease and is often caused by a buildup of cholesterol and fat. It's called plaque.
Blockages in the coronary arteries, which carry blood to the heart muscle, can lead to chest pain, shortness of breath and even heart attacks, according to the Mayo Clinic
To open the artery, the surgeon inserts a stent, or a small mesh tube. These devices keep the artery open so blood can flow more freely, says Lawrence Epstein, director of systems electrophysiology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, New York. The doctor, who was not involved in Sanders' care, said that while it was serious in the sense that it involved arteries and heart tissue, the surgery was "routine" and "relatively safe." p>
RELATED: 8 Tips for Healthy Aging How Stents Work Decades ago, treating coronary artery disease meant having to open a person's chest and completely bypass the blocked artery, Epstein said. Now, doctors can insert a stent instead that lines the artery and "literally squeezes the plaque against the wall," Epstein said. The process involves inserting a flexible tube. A balloon attached to the end of the catheter supports the wire mesh and inflates it to push the stent into place.
"These days. The stent is coated with a drug that prevents body tissue from growing on the wire mesh and causing re-blockage," added Dr. Sripal Bangalore, an interventional cardiologist and MD at NYU Langone Health The professor, who was not involved in Sanders' treatment, said only two to three patients developed reocclusion within a year of the procedure, said Dr. Quinn Capers, an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. >
“The surgery worked really well. ". According to iData Research, a medical market research company, wire mesh can quickly and effectively reopen blocked arteries, so "patients often feel better immediately.
About 1 million people have stents implanted in their coronary arteries each year. Still, there is some controversy surrounding these devices, as some health experts believe stents are overused and overhyped. Published in 2017 A study in The Lancet found that patients who took heart drugs to treat chest pain had similar outcomes to those who received stents
However, the controversy only applies to patients whose condition is stable.
These patients can choose to be treated with a stent or with medication alone, although they will take more medication if the stent is not damaged, he said. But there's "no debate" that stent placement is the best treatment when a patient's condition deteriorates rapidly, he added. Because Sanders had just had a stent placed, it's likely he would be placed " "Secondary prevention" program, Epstein said, meaning the senator would receive treatment to prevent further plaque buildup in his coronary arteries. Most likely, doctors will monitor the amount of fat in his blood, recommend changes to his diet and exercise habits, and give him medication to control cholesterol levels and prevent blood clots from forming around the newly placed stent.
Related: Cholesterol Levels: High, Low, Good and Bad Why the rush?
Sanders' emergency surgery came as a surprise to those awaiting his campaign speech. So why did the senator need treatment so quickly?
If a person with coronary heart disease (CAD) occasionally experiences chest pain, called angina, during physical activity, the condition is considered stable and a stent is not urgent. However, "if it's unstable angina, it's more of an emergency," Epstein said. Unstable angina means a patient's chest pain becomes more frequent, more painful, or lasts longer, or may be caused by less physical exertion than before. The worsening trend means plaque can build up quickly, meaning less blood gets to the heart, and the plaque itself can quickly rupture, triggering blood clots and subsequent heart attacks.
There is a type of unstable angina that doctors consider "low risk," and in those cases, Bangalore said, patients may choose to start treatment with medications rather than get a stent right away. But in about 40 to 50 cases, coronary heart disease patients have to have stents placed very quickly to prevent possible heart attacks. Plaques... can range from blocking an artery in about 30 to exploding like a volcano," he said.
There have been no reports of exactly why Sanders' surgery was so urgent
Stents do not cure coronary heart disease, Capers said, and patients must stick to their medication regimen and follow a healthy regimen. lifestyle to treat the underlying disease. In the long term, most people who receive stents can stabilize their condition by taking these preventive measures.
"There are many people who survive with stents for many years. "Surgery usually doesn't affect how they work," Epstein said. With aggressive treatment, the plaques can even shrink and the condition can be reversed, he added. 9 New Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy 7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate About Ten surprising facts about the heart
Originally published on Live Science