Lifestyle Management After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves angioplasty and often stenting. This procedure can open arteries in your heart and improve blood flow to relieve symptoms. But, it doesn't cure coronary artery disease. New blockages can still form. You need to take steps to prevent this by managing risk factors. Doing so will help make your heart and arteries healthier. Your doctor may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation to help with this lifelong process.

Some risk factors for coronary artery disease can be controlled. These include smoking, vaping, or using other tobacco or nicotine products, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. They can be managed with medicine, diet, and exercise. Support and counseling can also play a role. The effort will pay off! Managing risk factors can help you be more active, feel better, and reduce the risk of heart attack.

If your doctor has been urging you to quit smoking, vaping, or using other tobacco or nicotine products, it's for good reasons. Smoking damages your heart, blood vessels, and lungs. The good news is that quitting can halt or even reverse the damage of smoking. To quit now:

• Get medical help. Ask your doctor for advice on stop-smoking programs. Also ask about medicine or nicotine replacement therapy products that may help you quit smoking.
• Get support. Join a support group. Ask for help from your family and friends.
• Don't give up. It often takes several tries to succeed in quitting smoking.
• Stay away from secondhand smoke. Ask family and friends not to smoke around you.