Improving Stents - Part 1

Stents are expandable tubes that are inserted into blocked or damaged blood
vessels. They offer a practical way to treat coronary artery disease, repairing
vessels and keeping them open so that blood can flow freely. When stents
work, they are a great alternative to radical surgery, but they can deteriorate or
become dislodged. Mathematical models of blood vessels and stents are helping
to determine better shapes and materials for the tubes. These models are so
accurate that the FDA is considering requiring mathematical modeling in the
design of stents before any further testing is done, to reduce the need for expensive
experimentation.