Stent Placement  Stent placement is an invasive procedure, which involves the use of a balloon tipped catheter mounted with a stainless steel, cobalt chromium, or drug eluting stent.  This catheter is fed to the blocked coronary artery and inflated and deflated to compress the plaque on the walls of the artery. The stent is deployed and left to act as a scaffold on the vessel wall preventing closure. There may be chest discomfort during this process. Patients are normally sedated but awake for this procedure. The physician may talk with you during the procedure. You should tell the physician if you are experiencing pain during the procedure.

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