Heart Stents
By: Saivishnu Telugu
For individuals suffering from an obstructive heart disease, a small but ingenious piece of metal is used to alleviate blockage in the arteries. Colloquially referred to as stents, these retractable objects can have an important role in maintaining the function of the cardiovascular system. This article will discuss the different types of steps currently used in cardiology practice and discuss the future of these devices in modern medicine.
Traditional stents are made with lightweight and durable metals such as stainless steel. These stents are merged with a balloon catheter and inserted into the body through a coronary angioplasty. During this procedure, a cardiologist inserts a catheter into a patient’s clogged artery. The self-expanding catheter subsequently pushes the debris towards the side of the artery allowing blood flow to occur unobstructedly. To keep the newly expanded arterial shape a metal catheter is used to hold the shape of the artery and prevent collapse and/or restructuring. However, a drawback with using metal stents is that there is a high likelihood of experiencing an accidental intravascular injury which could lead to the onset of in-stent restenosis, a condition that can result in fatal blood clots. (Fischman et al.)
In order to overcome this problem, researchers developed drug-eluting stents, which are polymer-coated stents that are coated with substances such as paclitaxel or sirolimus. These medications on the stents helped block cell proliferation and onset thrombus following the period of stent placement. While patients receiving the new drug-eluting stents had a statistically significant improvement in artery function compared to the traditional group, the drug-eluting stents are not a perfect solution. (Borhani et al.) Reported problems with drug-eluting stents include an improper release in the artery and accidental washing during the associated surgery.
Thus, there is still a lot of improvement that can be done on the heart stent. Future research is being done testing different materials including those that are biodegradable, machine operated, and robotically controlled with medications. (Sun et al.) These stents may be able to revolutionize the prognosis for individuals suffering from heart disease and improve life expectancy.
Cardiovascular Diseases
By: Prajna D
The field of cardiology entails treating diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels, referred to as cardiovascular diseases. There are many factors that can increase the risks of cardiovascular diseases, including “unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol” (WHO, 2017). Keeping these factors in mind is essential to maintaining overall cardiovascular health.
Heart disease is extremely dangerous and “the leading cause of the death in the United States” (MedlinePlus, n.d.). As people age, the risk of heart disease increases. Women have some level of protection against heart disease due to estrogen production, however, the risk of heart disease for a woman with diabetes is greater than the risk for such in a man with diabetes. Certain racial groups and family histories are also contributing factors to heart disease. Other factors can be controlled by controlling blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, amongst others. As there are several uncontrollable factors, it is important to make efforts towards lowering the chances of contracting heart disease in factors that can be manipulated.
By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, one can greatly decrease the chances of contracting cardiovascular diseases. If one does contract a cardiovascular disease due to an uncontrollable factor or poor health maintenance, it is possible to manage the disease and prevent the development of further critical situations.
1st Article Sources:
Sources
Borhani, S., Hassanajili, S., Ahmadi Tafti, S. H., & Rabbani, S. (2018). Cardiovascular stents: overview, evolution, and next generation. Progress in biomaterials, 7(3), 175–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40204-018-0097-y
Fischman, D. L., Leon, M. B., Baim, D. S., Schatz, R. A., Savage, M. P., Penn, I., Detre, K., Veltri, L., Ricci, D., & Nobuyoshi, M. (1994). A randomized comparison of coronary-stent placement and balloon angioplasty in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Stent Restenosis Study Investigators. The New England journal of medicine, 331(8), 496–501. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199408253310802
Sun, D., Zheng, Y., Yin, T., Tang, C., Yu, Q., & Wang, G. (2014). Coronary drug-eluting stents: from design optimization to newer strategies. Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A, 102(5), 1625–1640. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.34806
2nd Article Sources:
World Health Organization. (2017, May 17). Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
Medline Plus. (n.d.). How to Prevent Heart Disease. https://medlineplus.gov/howtopreventheartdisease.html
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