Stents Increase Blood Flow

Stents are most often used in narrow or blocked arteries for atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is when fatty substances build up and eventually block the artery. The lipid buildup reduces the blood flow in the arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. The stent around the balloon is inserted into the groin through an opening in the blood vessel. The balloon is on the end of the catheter. Then the tip of the catheter is inserted into the narrow part of the artery and the balloon is inflated. The doctor uses a dye to help see which part of the artery is narrowed. Then the stent opens up and pushes against the walls of the artery. This compresses the plaque against the wall of the artery. The stent holds the artery open and helps improve blood flow after the balloon catheter is removed. X-ray movies help the doctor position the catheter in the correct position within the artery. Cells will eventually grow over the stent so the inside will look like a blood vessel. When stents are not used the chance of artery narrowing are twice as high.

Drug eluting stents gradually release a drug to the artery. The drug helps prevent the artery from becoming blocked again. The stents are made of a metal framework and coated with a polymer that holds and releases the drug. Drug eluting stents can lead to late stent thrombosis. This is when blood clotting inside the stent occurs years after the procedure.

Bare metal stents have a metal alloy framework. Many problems still persist from using bare metal stents though. Bare metal stents experience reblocking of the artery after the procedure. The restenosis experienced after the procedure is the body’s response by growing smooth muscle cells. Restenosis is when stenosis occurs again which is the narrowing of the artery restricting blood flow. Drug eluting stents have been proven to be superior to bare metal stents for the treatment of narrow arteries.

Cardiologists have to make many decisions for the stent to be successful. The stent has to be sized correctly to match the length of the blocked area of the artery. The stent also has to have the correct diameter to equal the width of the healthy part of the artery. The cardiologist also has to make sure that the stent expands against the walls of the artery correctly.

Stents are used in many different diseases. In coronary heart disease plaque builds up and narrows the coronary artery. This leads to less blood flow to the heart and can lead to a heart attack. The stent improves the blood flow to the heart and helps reduce the risk of narrowing of the artery and a heart attack. Peripheral arterial disease is when arteries are narrowed in the legs and arms. This causes pain and reduces blood flow to the arms and legs. Stents can fix this problem by increasing the blood flow to the arms and legs. In the kidneys, the arteries can become narrowed. This affects the blood flow to the kidneys and can cause high blood pressure. Inserting a stent into the narrowed part of the arteries in the kidney can decrease the risk of high blood pressure. Also, aneurysms can occur in the aorta. The aorta supplies blood to the body from the heart. An aneurysm is weakened areas of the artery that form a bulge. So the aneurysm will not burst, a stent is inserted to the weakened part of the aorta to help make it stronger. The aorta also can have a tear which decreases the blood flow to the body. A stent is usually placed at the tear to increase blood flow. In carotid artery disease the carotid arteries in your neck are narrowed. This can lead to a stroke by the decreased blood flow to the brain. I am interested in this topic because it fascinates me that engineering of stents can help prevent many different diseases and help improve the lives of many people.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/stents/stents_all.html