A coronary stent is a medical device used for coronary heart disease that supports narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, restores blood flow and reduces the risk of angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. Although traditional metal stents can effectively support blood vessels, due to their non-degradable properties, patients need to take antiplatelet drugs for life to prevent thrombosis.
In recent years, the research and development of biodegradable stents has brought new hope for coronary heart disease**. This kind of stent can gradually degrade and be absorbed by the human body after completing the task of vascular support, thus avoiding the inconvenience and risk of carrying metal stents for a long time.
The XNSORB bioresorbable stent developed by the team of academician Ge Junbo from Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University is the first rapamycin-eluting bioresorbable stent with independent intellectual property rights in China. The stent uses polylactic acid (PLLA) as the matrix material, with a wall thickness of 160 microns, and is sprayed with a layer of fully degradable racemic polylactic acid (PDLLA) as a drug-loaded coating.
After the xinsorb stent is implanted into the human body, it can support the diseased blood vessels within 3-4 months, and after 1 year, it begins to gradually degrade into water and carbon dioxide, and is naturally metabolized and absorbed by the human body within 2-4 years, so that the structure and function of the blood vessels can be restored to their natural state.
The main advantage of degradable stents is that they can be absorbed and metabolized by the body after the blood vessels are remodeled, which can theoretically significantly reduce the occurrence of long-term stent failure. Especially in the context of increasingly young coronary heart disease, biodegradable stents are known as the "fourth revolution of coronary intervention".
At present, the XNSORB bioresorbable stent has been put into use in more than 700 hospitals in China, and is expected to further expand to overseas markets1. Although bioresorbable stents cannot completely replace metal stents, they are more suitable for some young, relatively simple patients.
In the future, the research team will continue to carry out research, improve products, expand the applicable population, and further give full play to the "interventional non-implantation concept" to seek more new breakthroughs in original medical devices.