Key takeaways:
Heart stents are placed through a catheter in an artery in your groin or arm. It’s important to avoid certain activities so the entry site — and heart — can heal.
After stent placement, avoid strenuous activities, heavy lifting, and soaking in a bathtub or pool for the first week.
Some supplements can affect bleeding risk, so ask your cardiologist if you need to avoid them. After a stent, don’t stop your blood thinners — including aspirin — without your cardiologist’s guidance.
Stents are small, metallic mesh tubes that open blockages in heart arteries. They’re one of the main ways to treat a heart attack. But you might also get one if you have a partial blockage to help ease heart disease symptoms like angina.
A heart specialist (cardiologist) inserts the stent with a procedure called cardiac catheterization. They put a tube (catheter) into an artery in your wrist or groin, and they use this to get the stent to your heart.
After placing the stent, your cardiologist will prescribe certain medications. You’ll also need to take some precautions after the procedure. In this article, we’ll go over what you can expect after a stent and ways to optimize your recovery.
What should you avoid after a stent?
Below are the most common instructions for what to avoid after a stent. But each person is different. If these don’t line up with what you were told by your healthcare team, always check with them before making any changes.
Activity
After a stent procedure, you’ll usually be up and walking pretty soon. How soon, and how active you can be, depends on the catheter site. Before getting back to your daily routine, the puncture site on your arm or groin needs to heal. For most people, this takes about a week.
Here are some guidelines if the stent was placed through your wrist:
Avoid pushing, pulling, or lifting with that arm for the first several days.
Stay away from vibrating handheld machinery like lawn mowers and motorcycles for 1 week.
Here are some guidelines if the stent was placed through the groin:
Avoid or limit stairs as much as possible for the first 3 days.
Avoid straining with bowel movements for the first 3 days.
And here are some guidelines for all stents:
Take at least 2 days off of work, and more if your job involves heavy activity.
You can usually drive after a couple of days.
Avoid lifting anything over 10 lbs for 1 week.
Don’t push or pull heavy objects for 1 week.
Avoid strenuous exercise for 1 week, including sex.
Keep your catheter site clean, but don’t rub the area.
You can usually shower the next day if you keep the entry site covered and dry.
Don’t soak in a tub or swim for 1 week.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing until your wound has healed.
Smoking
It’s important to avoid tobacco products, since smoking may put you at risk for problems with your stent. It also greatly increases your risk for ongoing heart disease. But according to one study, people who quit smoking after a heart stent lowered their risk of heart complications to the same level as people who don’t smoke.
We know it’s not an easy thing to do. If you need help quitting, ask a member from your healthcare team. There are many options to help you quit smoking.
Foods
Eating foods that support your heart health is an important part of your recovery. Some foods can be counterproductive to a healthy heart.
It’s best to limit these options:
Salt (especially if you have high blood pressure or heart failure)
Sodas, including those with artificial sweeteners
Butter
Avoiding certain foods and adjusting to a more balanced and nutritious diet may take some time, so try to be patient with yourself. Ask for help if you need it. And if you prefer to follow a specific plan, a Mediterranean diet or DASH diet is a great heart-healthy choice.
Medications
Your healthcare team will also let you know if you should stop any of your old medications. Always check with your cardiology team before stopping a medication after a stent, even if another healthcare professional tells you to do so.
On a similar note, you may need to avoid certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications or supplements after a heart stent. It’s important to discuss this directly with your healthcare team, who’ll provide individual instructions for which medications to avoid after a stent. Examples of medications you may need to avoid include:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve): These can increase your risk of heart attack.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) medications like sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis): These can affect your blood pressure. You’ll likely be able to resume taking them after you recover as long as you aren’t taking nitroglycerin.
Certain supplements: These can interact with your medications (like St. John’s wort) or increase your risk of bleeding (like high doses of vitamin E).
Weight-loss supplements or products: These can contain stimulants that increase your heart rate or blood pressure.
It’s important to let your team know about any non-prescription medication or supplements you take so they can make sure they’re safe for you.
What can you expect when recovering from a heart stent?
People who are recovering from a heart attack usually have to spend at least a couple of nights in the hospital. But if your stent was a scheduled procedure, you may go home on the same day.
Pain
Most of the time, you won’t feel any pain in the chest area after a stent. In fact, you may feel better right away. But it’s common to have some discomfort at the entry site, where the catheter was inserted in your artery. This discomfort shouldn’t get worse after you go home.
Entry site
At the hospital, your nurse will watch the entry site for bleeding or bruising. Some people get a larger bruise or have bleeding under the skin while in the hospital. This is called a hematoma.
The discoloration may spread out over time, taking a few weeks to go away. But you shouldn’t experience any bleeding or increase in swelling after leaving the hospital. Often, you’ll have a small bruise or a firm bump under the skin. That may last for a week or more.
Medications
Your medications are likely to change after you get a stent. That’s because the stent treats the problem but doesn’t cure it. Medications will help to keep you safe and prevent new heart problems from arising. These commonly include:
Blood thinners (including aspirin), which are necessary to prevent blood clots from forming inside the stent
Blood pressure medications
Cholesterol medications, if needed
Medications to strengthen your heart, such as a beta blocker or ACE inhibitor
You’ll get a list of your medications at the time you’re discharged from the hospital. If you have any questions, be sure to ask them to your healthcare team before you go home.
When to get care
Your healthcare team will tell you what to watch for when you go home. This list usually includes the following:
Bleeding from the entry site
Swelling, numbness, cramping, or discoloration of your arm or leg
New chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or other concerning symptoms
If you notice any of these, follow your cardiologist’s instructions or go to the nearest emergency room.
When can you return to work after a stent procedure?
If you have a desk job, you can usually get back to work after 2 to 3 days. But if your job involves a lot of walking, lifting, or physical labor, then it’s best to wait a week. Of course, if you had any complications at the entry site, check with your cardiologist first.
There’s one important exception: If you’re recovering from a heart attack, you may need to take a few weeks off of work, even if the stent was successful. That’s because your heart may need more time to heal. Your cardiologist will give you personalized recommendations tailored to your own situation.
Frequently asked questions
The amount of time it takes for a stent to settle in depends on the type of stent that was used. But in general, stents start to settle within the first 24 hours of placement. But it takes much longer — several months — for the lining of the artery to fully heal and incorporate the stent. This is why most people need to take blood thinners for a certain period of time after a heart stent.
Most experts recommend you limit coffee in the first few days after a heart placement. This is because coffee can temporarily increase your blood pressure and heart rate. That being said, small amounts of regular coffee (1 to 2 small cups) or decaf coffee is safe for most people. It’s more important to avoid energy drinks, which can contain high amounts of caffeine and other dangerous stimulants.
Yes, you can still have a heart attack after you have a stent. A rare but possible complication of a heart stent is that a new clot forms inside the stent. This is more likely within the first 30 days after the procedure. But it can occur even a year or more afterward. Taking a blood thinner after your procedure greatly reduces the chance of this happening. So it’s very important you don’t stop taking your blood thinner without checking with your cardiologist or heart specialist first.
The amount of time it takes for a stent to settle in depends on the type of stent that was used. But in general, stents start to settle within the first 24 hours of placement. But it takes much longer — several months — for the lining of the artery to fully heal and incorporate the stent. This is why most people need to take blood thinners for a certain period of time after a heart stent.
Most experts recommend you limit coffee in the first few days after a heart placement. This is because coffee can temporarily increase your blood pressure and heart rate. That being said, small amounts of regular coffee (1 to 2 small cups) or decaf coffee is safe for most people. It’s more important to avoid energy drinks, which can contain high amounts of caffeine and other dangerous stimulants.
Yes, you can still have a heart attack after you have a stent. A rare but possible complication of a heart stent is that a new clot forms inside the stent. This is more likely within the first 30 days after the procedure. But it can occur even a year or more afterward. Taking a blood thinner after your procedure greatly reduces the chance of this happening. So it’s very important you don’t stop taking your blood thinner without checking with your cardiologist or heart specialist first.
The bottom line
After a heart artery stent, most people get back to their normal activities within a week. It’s important to follow your cardiologist’s instructions to ensure a good recovery. That includes avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous activity for the first week. You should also avoid getting your catheter insertion site wet too early. Lifestyle changes like avoiding certain foods and quitting smoking (if you smoke) can also boost your recovery and optimize your heart health.
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References
American Heart Association. (2022). Increased heart disease risk from red meat may stem from gut microbe response to digestion.
Cornelissen, A., et al. (2019). The effects of stenting on coronary endothelium from a molecular biological view: Time for improvement? Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
Debras, C., et al. (2022). Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: Results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. BMJ.
Garg, N., et al. (2019). Incidence and predictors of forearm hematoma during the transradial approach for percutaneous coronary interventions. Indian Heart Journal.
Ki, Y-J., et al. (2023). Smoking and cardiovascular outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: A Korean study. European Heart Journal.
MedlinePlus. (2024). Angioplasty and stent - heart - discharge.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). How smoking affects the heart and blood vessels. National Institutes of Health.
Pacheco, L. S., et al. (2020). Sugar‐sweetened beverage intake and cardiovascular disease risk in the California teachers study. Journal of the American Heart Association.
Palmerini, T., et al. (2012). Stent thrombosis with everolimus-eluting stents: meta-analysis of comparative randomized controlled trials. Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.
