A cardiac stent is a small tube that is used to enlarge arteries that have narrowed due to artherosclerosis, the fatty buildup within artery walls, or to improve the function of a weakened artery. Stents are often used during angioplasty, a procedure in which a balloon is used to open a narrowing or clogged artery that supplies the heart, which helps to prevent arteries from re-narrowing, or restenosis, following an angioplasty. There are three different types of stents: bare metal stents, or BMS; drug eluting stents, or DES; and fabric stents.
Bare Metal Stents, or BMS
Bare metal stents were the first stents to be used and implanted by an interventional cardiologist. They are made from a metal mesh tube and are used without drug coating. BMS help to provide support to arteries following an angioplasty and are primarily used in patients who cannot tolerate the medications involved with drug eluting stent, or DES.
Drug Eluting Stents, or DES
Drug eluting stents, or DES, also referred to as a "coated" or "medicated" stents, are metal mesh tubes that have been coated with slow-release medication such as sirolimus or paclitaxel to prevent restenosis, or re-blocking of an artery. The medication helps to decrease the amount of re-growth within the artery walls. Like the BMS, it is implanted by an interventional cardiologist during an angioplasty but is considered more beneficial for the treatment of restenosis due to the decreased rate of patients having a cardiac episode following the procedure.
Fabric Stents
Fabric stents, also known as stent grafts, are primarily being used and researched for larger arteries. They are made of fabric, as opposed to metal in the BMS and MES, and are currently in the experimental phase with interventional cardiologists. Further developments of fabric stents may help to reduce the complications of a torn aorta or other major arteries.
