BlackDoctor.org: Shawna, how did you know that a stent was the right option for you?
Shawna Dukes: Well, I think in the beginning I didn’t because I live a very active lifestyle and I workout strenuously everyday and it was during that time that I had symptoms that I’d never experienced before. I had tightness in my throat and chest and numbness down my left arm and obviously it really got my attention because it was something so new and unusual. And through the next several weeks when those symptoms recurred I pursued seeing a doctor and that led me to a couple more doctors and along the way we did several diagnostic tests and it was concluded I had coronary artery disease with the angina. I was given medication for it. There was a part of me it really didn’t sit well with because I just didn’t know the cause of it; I didn’t know where it was coming from and now I was living such a different lifestyle. I couldn’t go do all those things I was doing before without having these symptoms, so it led me to seeing someone else and getting more answers.
On one particular day my symptoms were so severe that thankfully it landed me in Dr. Barker’s office that very day and I was shocked to learn that the cause of all of it was a 90 percent blockage of a major artery. Within hours he had me in a cath lab and he implanted the stent – it’s a synergy stent, a newer stent I was very fortunate to get – and it restored everything. I had very few restrictions afterwards the week after and then several weeks after that I had no restrictions. I was back working out doing really strenuous things, walking miles a day with my dog. It restored my life.
BlackDoctor.org: What questions would you encourage patients to ask their doctor about stents?
Shawna Dukes: Well, I would just encourage patients – because this happened to me and I know a lot of people out there are like me that they don’t think this could happen to them – just listen to their symptoms and start by going to their primary care doctor and that’s the first step. Continue to ask questions. Continue to look things up and research things. I would just say persistence. When you don’t quite get the answers or the outcome that you want because more times than not it will lead you to something else. Seeking a second or third opinion – it’s your right to do. It can save your life. It can get you to the right place.
BlackDoctor.org. What information should doctors share with their patients about their treatment options for CAD?
Dr. Barker: I think they should understand why would a stent help me; what are the benefits I can get out of it. There’s those two patient populations – one with really lifestyle-limiting angina and the heart attack patients – those are the the ones that’ll get a benefit out of this. But you also want to understand and be informed about what are the risks. The procedure and the technology have come a long way. They’re very safe and effective, but still there’s a 1 percent inherent risk to any invasive procedure having a complication, so you want to make sure you understand there’s a benefit there and if there’s an acceptable risk you can make an informed decision as a patient because it’s your body and sort of take charge of your own health and move forward as you see appropriate.
BlackDoctor.org: What are some of those latest advancements in stent technology that CAD patients should be aware of?
Dr. Barker: The latest has really come a long way whereas years ago we were putting in very basic sort of metal scaffolding, metal tubes, that would go in and keep the artery open but develop scar tissue about 25 percent of the time. So we started putting medicine on the stents to prevent scar tissue from building up. That worked well, but there was a risk of heart attacks actually from the stents. So the current technology includes the synergy stent by Boston Scientific who we’re partnering with today which has all the advantages of a thin, metal tube with medication on it to prevent scar tissue formation as well as coating to prevent heart attacks and allow for a nice, smooth healing. After several months you’re back to a normal artery with scaffolding in place keeping the artery propped open.