Blockages in blood flow in small vessels around the heart can bring on recurrent chest pain There's been little doctors can do to help patients in this situation, but a newly developed 'hourglass' stent may be a novel treatment option Most patients in a small new trial could resume activities of daily living after receiving the device MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Recurring in people with a certain type of heart disease can be tough to treat, but a new hourglass-shaped stent could be a real advance, researchers report. People with what's known as microvascular disease -- impeded blood flow in tiny blood vessels within the heart -- improved significantly once they got the new stent, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
That's a big turnaround, since "the patients with heart-related microvascular dysfunction in this study had little ability to control their chronic angina, which severely limited their day-to-day activities," noted study senior author , a Mayo cardiologist. His team published its findings Nov. 6 in the According to the American Heart Association, angina is not an illness but a symptom of heart disease.
"Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused when your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood," the . "It may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. The discomfort also can occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, abdomen or back.
Angina pain may even feel like indigestion." Recurrent chest pain is a hallmar.