Your doctor tells you that you’ve got a blocked artery, and you need a stent stat. But do you really? We bring you the the truth about stents.

Bottom Line/HEALTH:Dr. Suzanne, I know that 600,000 stents were implanted last year, and I read a study that said that maybe as many as half of them were unnecessary or inappropriate. What’s the deal? Are we just putting stents in people for fun?
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum:In the situation of a heart attack, when a stent is put in, it could actually be a lifesaving procedure. It restores blood flow to an area that wasn’t getting any blood. In that situation, a stent is necessary. But for many people, those who have a heart attack, it happens when their blockages are 30% to 50%. Stents are put in at 70% or greater, and that’s a Band-Aid. The real cure is in prevention through lifestyle choices—diet and exercise and sometimes medication.
Bottom Line:That’s great, but can you talk a little bit more about the alternative approaches to dealing with it?
Dr. Steinbaum:Sometimes stents are put in when someone has symptoms of chest pain or angina, and some other alternatives could be medication or exercise, or there might be other options that you can talk to your doctor about. But a stent is not a sure-all fix. Again, it’s a Band-Aid, and it can help with symptoms, but sometimes, medications might help just as well, if not more.