Types of Coronary Stents

A Coronary stent is a small tube structure that is inserted into the blocked passageway of an artery to keep it open. Coronary Stents are primarily employed to treat coronary heart diseases.

Different types of stents are used to open up narrowed arteries in various parts of the body.

Blocked artery passages in the heart can be dangerous as they hinder free blood flow. Stents in the heart open up these blocked passages, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and improve blood circulation. These stents are coated with medication to prevent clogging and narrowing of vessels.

Who needs a Coronary stent?

Coronary Stents are implanted in patients who have suffered a heart attack and need to undergo immediate intervention heart procedures like Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). Stents are also effective in reducing heart disease symptoms like chest pain significantly.

Stent treatment is preferable when the patient has one or two blockages; however, a bypass surgery is more advisable in case of multiple blockages.

What is a coronary angioplasty?

A stent is inserted in the patient’s body through a process known as coronary angioplasty. A small tube known as the balloon catheter is inserted either through the femoral artery of the leg or the radial artery of the arm. This balloon catheter then advances up to the heart, reaching the aorta which is the main artery that passes blood from the heart to other parts of your body.

Once the blockage area is identified, a wire loaded with the stent is inserted through the same passage as the balloon catheter. The stent is then placed and expanded to the size of the artery that it is inserted into with the help of an inflated balloon. After the stent is set in place, the catheter and the wire are removed.

What are the types of Coronary stents?

There are three types of Coronary stents:

• Bare Metal Stent

As the name suggests, the bare metal stent is a simple type of stent that does not have any special kind of coating on it. It is used to provide a solid framework to open a blocked passageway. On healing, the tissues tend to grow on the stent. However, this can be a little dangerous as the tissues can overgrow and cause complications.

• Drug-Eluting

The stent is coated with medication that it elutes into the surrounding coronary wall. Upon insertion, the stent continues to permanently stay in the patient’s body.

The drug-eluting stent is widely used by doctors worldwide as it prevents scaring of the tissue by keeping the vessels smooth and wide open throughout. Plus, the stent has proven successful in improving blood flow. However, as it is slow in its healing, there is always the risk of restenosis.  Restenosis is a condition in which an opened artery becomes narrow again.

• Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds (BRS)

Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds are a type of stent that provide a temporary scaffold to the artery upon insertion. Once the blockage is cleared out and blood flow is restored, the stent dissolves in the body and leaves the artery in its natural state without any residue.

Meril’s MeRes 100 BRS is one of the finest Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds. It has been designed to provide maximum support to the artery while releasing anti-proliferative drugs to minimise the proliferation response.

Conclusion

It is important take care of one’s health in order to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Taking small, but constant steps to improve one’s quality of life through healthy habits can make a huge difference in the long run. It is important to be your own heart hero!