Biodegradable Heart Stent Used With Clinical Trials in the UK–Begins to Dissolve and Is Gone in a Year Or So
Posted Oct 04 2010 11:16pm
The stent is made from cornstarch and every year many patients should return to have stents removed and some never do, so this is a solution on that horizon.
It opens the blocked artery via using a catheter to insert like any other type stent procedure. The mesh scaffold turns into carbon dioxide and water in a year. This is an international trial. BD
For years patients suffering from angina have been treated with stents, tiny metal structures, that keep arteries clear and blood flowing.
But now a new biodegradable stent has been produced.
It dissolves over time whilst releasing chemicals to lower the risk of the artery narrowing.
The stent is made from cornstarch and every year many patients should return to have stents removed and some never do, so this is a solution on that horizon.
It opens the blocked artery via using a catheter to insert like any other type stent procedure. The mesh scaffold turns into carbon dioxide and water in a year. This is an international trial. BD