Why would leg bleed for heart stent procedure?

Question

my grandmother had to have a heart stent put in yesterday, i have not been able to go see her yet but her children called and told me they cant send her home because her leg wont stop bleeding. i dont understand why her leg is bleeding in the first place with a heart stent i have asked several times why this is happening and no one gives me answers. thanks in advance for any info!

Answer 1

the heart is a part of circulatory syestem which is like a network of pipes so inorder to reach the vessels of heart u have to reach it via a peripheral pipe in this case it is the femoral artery. so when the procedure is done the point from where u entered the circulatory syestem leaks and it stops when the blood clots from there and blood leak is stopped. this may take some longer time in older people so this is the way why leg bleeds for a heart stent procedure

Answer 2

The femoral Artery is the largest and it goes directly to the heart. Your grandmother is probably taking anti-coagulants-blood thinners. This artery is a big bleeder, but is easily controlled, it's in the crease of the abdomen and groin area. Also a pressure point!

Answer 3

I remember watching this procedure before... what they do is they feed the stent on a guide wire through the femoral artery (in the thigh) and because it is ARTERIAL there is more chance of having bleeding afterwards so they must monitor the patient to ensure the arteries clots off after the procedure. They usually apply pressure for long periods of time (I forgot how long). I hope your grandmother makes it ok

Answer 4

the others are right... its the femoral puncture used to insert the catheter which is bleeding.    Most angio suites will use a special device such as AngioSeal to plug the hole but its costly.  There is a new bandage now available for this very purpose which is used in Cleveland Clinic and other large hospitals (as well as the US military for stopping gun shot wound bleeds)  .... maybe make the team aware of it

http://www.hemcon.com

Answer 5

They stick a very large needle in the groin, in a very large blood vessel, and run it up to the heart.

Answer 6

It's because they insert the catheter and stent through the femoral artery on the inside of the thigh.  They do this because it's a huge artery and it splits from the abdominal aorta which goes in a straight path up to the aorta, where the coronary arteries (where the stent is placed) branch from.

It seems weird and convoluted, but it's actually the easiest way to get to the heart since it's basically a straight line (you'd have to make lots of twists and turns if you went through the arm, you want to avoid messing with things near the head, and going in through the chest would be much more traumatic than the leg).

The femoral artery is notorious for heavy bleeding too, so it's not unusual that your grandmother is still at the hospital.  Especially since, as Silly said, she was probably given anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting during the procedure.  Your grandmother is in good hands, though.  They want to keep her there in order to keep an eye on her leg, make sure it's properly bandaged, and give her more blood if she needs it.

I know it's frustrating when you can't get answers to your questions in a situation like this.  I hope this info helps, and I hope your grandmother gets well soon :)

Answer 7

I'm not sure this is the correct answer, but I think it is because the stent is inserted though the thigh.  You know where your thigh and torso meet, the bend in your top leg? right around there where the veins are close to the surface of your skin.

They  may have prepared her, and her blood was to thin to do the procedure.