When it comes to heart health, stents have revolutionized the treatment of coronary artery disease. However, the downside of traditional stents is that they are often made of metal, which can cause complications like restenosis.

But there is good news—biodegradable stents that dissolve over time are becoming more and more common, and a team of scientists from the Inter-Balkan Medical Center in Greece has made a major breakthrough in the technology behind them.

What Are Biodegradable Stents?

Traditional stents are permanent implants that remain in the body even after the artery has healed. In contrast, biodegradable stents are made of materials that dissolve over time, leaving behind nothing but a healthy artery.

The idea behind biodegradable stents has been around since the 1980s, but it’s only in the last decade or so that the technology has advanced enough to create stents that are both effective and safe.

Why Biodegradable Stents?

There are several benefits to using biodegradable stents over traditional stents. Firstly, traditional stents can cause complications like restenosis, where the artery narrows again due to a build up of scar tissue.

This requires further intervention, and can put the patient at risk. With biodegradable stents, there is no risk of restenosis because the stent simply dissolves. Secondly, while metal stents are effective, they can also cause inflammation and other problems.

Biodegradable stents, on the other hand, are made of materials that the body can absorb without any adverse effects. Finally, biodegradable stents allow the artery to return to its natural state once the stent has dissolved. This means that there is no permanent foreign object in the body, which can improve long-term outcomes.

How Do Biodegradable Stents Work?

Biodegradable stents are made from materials like polylactic acid (PLA) or magnesium. These materials are gradually absorbed by the body over time. As the stent dissolves, it releases medication that helps to prevent restenosis.

The Inter-Balkan Success

The team of scientists at the Inter-Balkan Medical Center in Greece have made a major breakthrough in biodegradable stent technology.

They have developed a new type of stent that is made from a combination of polylactic acid and everolimus, a medication that is used to prevent restenosis.

What sets this stent apart from others on the market is the way in which it is manufactured. Instead of using traditional injection molding, the team used three-dimensional printing to create the stent.

This allowed them to create a stent with a unique shape and structure that is designed to dissolve in a predictable and controlled manner.

The team also tested the new stent in a clinical trial, which showed promising results. Patients who received the new stent had a lower rate of restenosis and other complications than those who received traditional stents.

Conclusion

The development of biodegradable stents is an exciting breakthrough in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

The team at the Inter-Balkan Medical Center have taken this technology one step further by developing a stent that is not only biodegradable, but also highly effective. This new stent has the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce the need for further intervention. With further research and development, biodegradable stents could become the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease.