Development and application of metal materials in terms of vascular stents

Biomed Mater Eng. 2015;25(4):435-41. doi: 10.3233/BME-151542.

Abstract

Background: With life pace accelerated, poor diet habits developed, psychological burden enhanced and many other factors, the incidence of coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular cerebrovascular diseases has been increased year by year, which are serious threat to human health.

Objective: Provide relational references for the similar researchers after metal stent materials were reviewed and prospected.

Methods: This paper reviews the development and application of metal materials in terms of vascular stents, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of 316L stainless steel, nitinol super-elastic alloys, cobalt-based alloys (Co-Cr-Ni-Mo-Mn), magnesium-based alloy, iron-based alloys and tantalum metal stents as well as in clinical practice research and application.

Results: Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of different metal stent materials as well as in clinical practice research and application.

Conclusions: Although metal stents have been widely used in clinical practice, there are still many problems to be solved, especially to improve mechanical properties and biological activity. Strong immune rejection is also a problem. Therefore, it will be a significant direction for future material research to treat surface modification, further improve the biocompatibility, reduce the thrombosis and completely eliminate the rejection and vascular restenosis. In addition, the stent materials should be developed toward controllable degradation and special features in the future.

Keywords: Vascular stents; application; development; metal materials.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biocompatible Materials / chemical synthesis*
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis*
  • Metals / chemical synthesis*
  • Prosthesis Design / methods
  • Stents*
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Metals