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In medicine, a stent is a metal or plastic tube inserted into the lumen of an anatomic vessel or duct to keep the passageway open, and stenting is the placement of a stent. This is done to avoid blockage of the artery supplying blood and oxygen to the target organ, for example heart.
Stents are small, expandable tubes that treat narrowed arteries in your body. In people with coronary heart disease caused by the buildup of plaque, they can:
- Open narrowed arteries
- Reduce symptoms, like chest pain
- Help treat a heart attack
These types are called heart stents, but they're also referred to as cardiac stents or coronary stents. Usually made of metal mesh, they’re put into arteries in a procedure called a percutaneous coronary intervention or, its more common name, angioplasty. The global market for coronary stents is projected to increase to $5.6 billion by 2020.
Performed with local anesthesia and mild sedation, angioplasty involves no major incisions and usually takes about an hour. If you need more than one stent, it can take longer. Compared to coronary artery bypass surgery, which is much more invasive, people who get stents have less discomfort and a shorter recovery time.
But stenting isn't risk-free. A blood clot can form by something called in-stent thrombosis and cause your arteries to narrow again suddenly. It may even cause a complete blockage. This is a serious complication that may be life threatening. To prevent this, people take one or more blood-thinning drugs after they get a stent. These can include aspirin, which usually must be taken indefinitely, and prasugrel, clopidogrel or ticagrelor, which are usually prescribed for up to 24 months.
Scar tissue or plaque can also form in the area of your stent. This can cause your artery to narrow again over a period of months. Your doctor may call this re-stenosis. If it happens, another stent can be needed to solve the problem. In some cases, coronary artery bypass surgery may be needed.