Stents

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Stents

A stent is a small, slotted, metal tube that is mounted on a balloon catheter. It is inserted into an artery or other vessel (sometimes after a wider channel has been created by a balloon) and is positioned at the site of the blockage. When the balloon is inflated, the stent expands and is pressed into the inner wall of the vessel.

The balloon is then deflated and removed, with the stent remaining in place. The stent acts as a scaffold that helps to hold the vessel open, which improves blood flow and relieves symptoms caused by the blockage. There are several types of stent used in different applications. TFT’s technology is being initially directed at the peripheral stent market.

The stent market is currently being driven by the results of trials in drug eluting stents. Recent clinical data on the effectiveness of drug eluting peripheral stents and issues with late stage restenosis of drug eluting coronary stents has supported TFT's belief that drug elution is not the panacea for restenosis. The SLF™ technology stent is potentially complimentary to the drug elution concept. In stent re-narrowing (restenosis), another form of NIH is the main cause of device failure necessitating re-intervention. Part of the solution is to provide a drug bound to the stent that inhibits this process. By providing an additional flow based solution to this problem, SLF™ will provide an alternative means of reducing in stent restenosis and also reduce the risk of downstream disease progression.