A stent is a tiny wire mesh tube, that a physician can insert into a blocked passageway to widen it, to keep it open, and to prevent the passageway from collapsing. Besides blood vessels in the heart, stents can open any of a variety of passageways including in the bile ducts, the bronchi, and the ureters for example.

In the heart of a person, a stent props open the clogged arteries and restores the normal flow of blood.

As of 2021, stents are made of either plastic or they may be specialized fabric. Stents can also be coated with a slow releasing medication to help keep a blocked artery in the heart from closing.

Due to cholesterol and other substances in the heart, plaque builds up and narrows or can block the flow of blood. The plaque attaches to the walls of a vessel, constricting the flow of blood in the heart. To insert a stent into the affected area of the heart, the physician uses a minimally invasive procedure by making a small incision and uses a catheter to guide specialized tools through the blood vessels to reach the area that needs the stent. This incision is usually in the groin or arm.

A few of the tools used include a camera on the end of a catheter to help the physician guide the stent. Also a physician may use an imaging technique called an angiogram to help guide the stent through the vessel. After installing the stent, the physician will remove the instruments from the person’s body and close the incision.

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