Zinc Stents are More Body-Friendly

May-04-13 Researchers are working to create a better biodegradable stent by using zinc, which would reduce the risk of late-stage side effects that can occur when stents are left in the body.

Stents are used to help widen blocked arteries, and are left in the body even after the artery has healed—which sometimes results in unwanted side effects years down the road. To help combat this problem, researchers from Michigan Tech experimented with using zinc as a stent material, and found that its corrosion rate was exactly correct for use as a biodegradable stent. When implanted in rats, the zinc wires degraded at just under 0.2 millimeters per year for the first three months, and then accelerated afterwards.

As a bonus, zinc reduces atherosclerosis, which allows it to help fight the plaque build-up in arteries.

Image: Composite image of zinc degradation in a rat artery

More Info about this Invention:

[MEDGADGET.COM]
[MICHIGAN TECH]

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