Better Stents

When catheters were first placed in to the heart in the 1970’s, few imagined that over 1 million of these procedures could be done annually. Part of the success is the remarkable durability of the newer stent designs. These metallic devices look like the metal spring in a ballpoint pen, but they cost a bit more. Coating the stents with medications to prevent aggressive attacking of the metal by the body has further reduced the chance of complications from re-stenosis. The procedures are exceedingly safe and are very quick. Best of all, the recovery is measured in hours rather than weeks. On the other hand, the long-term results are often inferior to surgery.