For nearly 30 years, coronary stents have had one thing in common: They are composed of a permanent scaffold structure that helps keep a narrowed artery open and blood flowing. Changes in the materials used to make stents have improved their safety and effectiveness. And the development of drug-eluting stents (DES) in the early 2000s represented a major step forward, as the devices themselves could release drugs that would help reduce the risk of scar tissue forming around the scaffold and narrowing the artery.
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