After getting a drug-eluting stent

After you get a drug-eluting stent, a healthcare professional prescribes medicines, such as aspirin and statins, and lifestyle changes. These are ways to help keep problems from happening with the stent or your heart. To change your lifestyle in a healthy way, stop smoking, eat a heart-healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.

For some people, coronary bypass surgery may be done instead of stent placement. Coronary bypass surgery works well, but it's more invasive than using stents, which means a longer recovery time.