Cardiologist discusses type of heart procedure Sen. Sanders underwent

Cardiologist on Bernie Sanders’ heart procedure

The type of heart procedure Sanders underwent to reopen a blocked artery is pretty routine and pretty low-risk, the doctor said.

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Interventional cardiologist Dr. Wissam Jaber, Director of the Cardiac Cath Program at Emory University Hospital, is not part of Senator Bernie Sanders' care team. 

But, Dr. Jaber says the type of heart procedure Sanders underwent to reopen a blocked artery is pretty routine and pretty low-risk. 

Jaber says his team performs 10 to 20 of these stent procedures every day.

"It's done in the cardiac catheterization (lab)," Jaber says. "The patient is awake most of the time during the procedure. They can hear us.  We talk to them.  And, it's done through a very small incision — usually something that looks like an IV going through the wrist or the groin."

Jaber says they reopened blockages with a tiny balloon.

Then, he says, they place stents, or small metallic coils, into the artery to hold it open.

The procedure takes anywhere from about 20 minutes to a couple of hours.

"We tell people if they've had stents, to take it easy for a few days," Jaber says. "So nothing strenuous. It doesn't mean they cannot do their routine daily activities and a low level.  And, generally, after a week, we allow them to do whatever they want to do."

Presidential campaigns can be notoriously long and grueling, and Jaber says stress can raise a person's risk of experiencing another cardiac event, like a heart attack.

It's a minor risk factor," he says.  "It's not a major risk factor, but it's one of the risk factors.  So, if you're having something very stressful, you’re doing a major protect like running a campaign, you'd expect people to need longer rest, maybe a couple of weeks."

Without any complications, Jaber says most patients fully recover and feel better after the procedure.