Patient Information: Information related to angioplasty and stents as a treatment for coronary artery disease.

What is a Coronary Stent and How Does it Work?

Stents are tiny, expandable tubes made of metal mesh. The angioplasty procedure opens the artery, and stents are placed and expanded to fit the size, shape and bend of the artery. The stent remains in the artery after the procedure to help keep the artery open. Over time, the artery wall heals around the stent.

There are two kinds of coronary artery stents, uncoated and coated, known as bare-metal and drug-eluting. A drug-eluting stent is a bare-metal stent coated with a special drug and polymer to help reduce the chance of the artery becoming blocked again. The drug is released from the stent over the period of time when re-blockage is most likely to occur.