How do catheter stents reduce the risk of blood vessel or tracheal stenosis?

A catheter mount is a medical device used to treat vascular or tracheal stenosis. It significantly reduces the risk of blood flow or airflow restriction caused by stenosis by mechanically supporting, expanding, and maintaining lumen patency. Stents are usually made of metal, plastic, or biodegradable materials and can be precisely placed at the target site by means of a catheter to maintain the open state of the blood vessel or trachea.
Vascular or tracheal stenosis is usually caused by atherosclerosis, thrombosis, tumor compression, or inflammation. Stenotic sites often restrict normal blood or gas flow, leading to problems such as insufficient oxygen supply and impaired organ function. Catheter stents effectively alleviate these problems by expanding restricted sites and enhancing local blood flow or airflow. After the stent is placed in the stenotic area, it will expand according to the shape and size of the blood vessel or trachea to form a stable support structure, allowing the lumen to regain patency.
The design and material selection of catheter stents are crucial to reducing the risk of vascular or tracheal stenosis. Many stents are made of metal materials, such as stainless steel or cobalt-chromium alloy, which have good mechanical strength and flexibility and can adapt to different forms of blood vessels or tracheas. The new generation of drug-eluting stents are coated with drugs on the metal surface, which can slowly release drugs after the stent is placed, thereby reducing the risk of restenosis after stent placement. These drugs can inhibit excessive proliferation of the inner wall of the blood vessel, prevent inflammatory reactions, and help maintain the long-term patency of blood vessels or trachea.
The stability of catheter stents after placement is also crucial. Stents support the walls of the tube to prevent stent displacement or collapse caused by factors such as blood flow or air flow pressure, external physical effects, etc. Some stent designs have a self-expanding function, that is, they can automatically expand to a predetermined size after placement, providing uniform pressure distribution, thereby enhancing the fixation and stability of the stent. This stability reduces the chance of recurrence of stenosis and helps maintain the smooth flow of blood or air for a long time.
The use of stents not only helps to solve the current stenosis problem, but also prevents long-term complications. If vascular stenosis is not effectively treated, it may lead to serious consequences such as angina, myocardial infarction, and stroke, while tracheal stenosis may cause symptoms such as dyspnea and shortness of breath. Catheter stents significantly reduce the incidence of these complications by ensuring the patency of blood vessels or trachea.