What is a stent? A stent is a small mesh tube that is placed in a narrow or weak artery as part of a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to improve the blood flow, support the inner walls of the artery and help prevent them from bursting.

When was the stent first patented?

The first stent was patented in 1972 by Doctor Robert A. Ersek, after previously conducting research on animals in 1969.

When was the first stent used?

Professor Jacques Puel and Professor Ulrich Sigwart were the first to implant a coronary stent in humans in 1986. This operation was considered one of the greatest medical advances of the last thirty years and has saved thousands of lives all around the world. Since it was first patented, this invention has changed the face of coronary angioplasty as we know it.

How has the stent developed?

Since the stent was first patented, it has undergone several developments.

In 1991, Cannon and Roubin used the stent for the first time to treat Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI).

A few years later in 1994, the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US approved a new version of the stent that was invented by Cesare Gianturco and Gary Roubin, to treat acute and threatening vessel closure.

To further reduce the incidence of restenosis, the drug-eluting stent was introduced in 2002, after being approved by both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the FDA.

Author:

Dr Adrian Bradley

Partner
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