Amogh Arun

10/18/16
Intern Mentor 6

Cardiac Stents: Are Chemicals the way to go?

Research Question
Can the cardiac balloon-expandable medical stents be improved?
Hypothesis
Medical Stents, specifically Cardiac Stents, can be improved with further development
medicated stents or polymer stents.
Background/History of the Issue
In the heart, there are three main arteries, the Left Anterior Descending (LAD), the Circumflex
(Circ) and the Right Coronary Artery (RCA). The LAD supplies blood to the front of the heart.
The Circ supplies blood to the back of the heart. And the RCA supplies blood to the heart
ventricles and the right atrium. If any of these coronary arteries or their branches get clogged the
heart losses blood flow to the respective part of the heart. This is horrible for the patient because
it means that the cells in that area of the heart are dying by the second and without cells, the heart
cannot contract and circulate blood to the rest of the body. Heart blockages are a problem that
affect millions daily. However, until 1985, Heart blockages meant certain death. Julio Palmaz, an
intervention vascular radiologist, patented the balloon-expandable medical stent and changed the
course of cardiology forever. Know in most hospitals there are two types of stents, plain metal
stents and medicated stents. Both are maneuvered into the clotted area of the heart and inflated to
support prevent further clottage. The only side effect is that both stents have a chance of
reclotting, as they are foreign objects in the body. With the use of polymer stents, the side effects
could be significantly reduced, so much that a stent may not need to be in the heart forever.

Rationale
I feel that cardiac stents are important because cardiac arrest and cardiac clots are problems that
affect millions daily. Therefore, if the stents can be improved to make it safer for the patients,
easier to use for doctors, and could disappear without causing more problems, society as a whole
would benefit greatly. The idea of stents is one that has saved millions to this day, but the
problem is that out of these millions, thousands still get health issues because stents are not
perfect. The only way to bring stents closer to perfection is through research.
Basis of Hypothesis
I focused my hypothesis specifically on the use of chemicals and other substances rather than
focusing on the design of the stent because the use of different materials would have a greater
percent of success and would be more natural, which would be much better for the patient. Also,
my mentor uses medicated stents every day, so he is well versed in the field and can help me
further research in that area of cardiology. In addition, the literature that I have found has shown
that stents are moving in the direction of polymers, so I wanted to further this research with the
resources I have. The only problem is that because polymer stents are such a new idea and have
not been patented, there is little sources that have published their research publically.
Operational Definition
Stent a microscopic tube placed into an obstructed coronary artery in the heart to open
up the passage and allow blood flow. The stent is inflated using a balloon which is
pumped up by a cardiac technician.
Polymers a molecular structure consisting of a large number of similar units bonded
together.

Descriptors Used for Literature Search

Polymer Stents
Medicated Stents
Balloon Inflated Stents
Coronary Angioplasty