Despite the increasing number of stents implanted each year worldwide, patients remain at high risk for developing in-stent restenosis. Various self-reporting stents have been developed to address this challenge, but their practical utility has been limited by low sensitivity and limited data collection. Herein, we propose a next-generation self-reporting stent that can monitor blood pressure and blood flow inside the blood arteries. This proposed self-reporting stent utilizes a larger inductor coil encapsulated on the entire surface of the stent strut, resulting in a 2-fold increase in the sensing resolution and coupling distance between the sensor and external antenna. The dual-pressure sensors enable the detection of blood flow in situ. The feasibility of the proposed self-reporting stent is successfully demonstrated through in vivo analysis in rats, verifying its biocompatibility and multifunctional utilities. This multifunctional self-reporting stent has the potential to greatly improve cardiovascular care by providing real-time monitoring and unprecedented insight into the functional dynamics of the heart.
Keywords: blood flow sensor; pressure sensor; restenosis; smart stent; wireless resonance.