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Published on: January 7, 2019
3D Printing of Polymeric Bioresorbable Stents: A Strategy to Improve Both Cellular Compatibility and Mechanical
Ana M Sousa1, Ana M Amaro1, Ana P Piedade1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, CEMMPRE, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death. This study reviews polymeric bioresorbable stents, focusing on 3D printing parameters to improve mechanical performance and degradation for better coronary artery disease treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cardiovascular Engineering
- Medical Device Manufacturing
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary artery disease, is a major cause of mortality.
- Vascular stents are crucial for treating coronary artery disease by preventing restenosis and thrombosis.
- Current stents lack ideal cellular compatibility and mechanical properties, leading to failure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of current stent types and polymeric materials for bioresorbable vascular stents.
- To detail the influence of additive manufacturing parameters on stent mechanical performance.
- To analyze the impact of printing parameters on the degradation profile of polymeric stents.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing stent technologies and materials.
- Analysis of additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques for polymeric stents.
- Examination of studies correlating printing parameters with mechanical properties and degradation.
Main Results:
- No universal control parameters exist for 3D-printed polymeric vascular stents.
- Printing parameters significantly affect mechanical performance and degradation rates.
- Polymeric bioresorbable stents offer potential for improved mechanical properties.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing 3D printing parameters is key to enhancing polymeric bioresorbable stent performance.
- Further research is needed to establish normalized fabrication protocols.
- Advanced polymeric stents could overcome limitations of current devices for coronary artery disease treatment.
Abstract:
One of the leading causes of death is cardiovascular disease, and the most common cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention and vascular stents have emerged as a solution to treat coronary artery disease. Nowadays, several types of vascular stents share the same purpose: to reduce the percentage of restenosis, thrombosis, and neointimal hyperplasia and supply mechanical support to the blood vessels. Despite the numerous efforts to create an ideal stent, there is no coronary stent that simultaneously presents the appropriate cellular compatibility and mechanical properties to avoid stent collapse and failure. One of the emerging approaches to solve these problems is improving the mechanical performance of polymeric bioresorbable stents produced through additive manufacturing. Although there have been numerous studies in this field, normalized control parameters for 3D-printed polymeric vascular stents fabrication are absent. The present paper aims to present an overview of the current types of stents and the main polymeric materials used to fabricate the bioresorbable vascular stents. Furthermore, a detailed description of the printing parameters' influence on the mechanical performance and degradation profile of polymeric bioresorbable stents is presented.
