Stent
Current as of: June 24, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
A stent is a small, expandable tube that can be inserted into a blood vessel and expanded using a small balloon during a procedure called angioplasty. A stent is used to open a narrowed or blocked blood vessel.
When the balloon inside the stent is inflated, the stent expands and presses against the walls of the artery. This traps any fat and calcium buildup against the walls of the artery and allows blood to flow through the artery. The stent helps prevent the artery from closing again (restenosis).
To insert the stent, a flexible, thin tube (catheter) is passed through an artery in the groin or arm into the narrowed artery. Then the balloon inside the stent is inflated.
Some stents, called drug-eluting stents, are coated with a medicine to more effectively prevent restenosis.
Current as of: June 24, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
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This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.