First Artery Stent
1994 - Institutional Event
As heart disease grew to become the leading cause of death
in the United States during the late 20th century, medical and
surgical treatments advanced, too.
A major milestone was the first coronary angioplasty, performed in San Francisco
in 1977. Angioplasty is a medical procedure used to open clogged heart arteries
during a heart attack or when plaque buildup causes symptoms such as chest pain
or shortness of breath. A tiny balloon is temporarily inserted and expanded at
the site of the blockage to widen the artery and restore blood flow. Since the
procedure is much less invasive than heart surgery, it involves far less risk,
pain, expense and recovery time.
Unfortunately, artery-clogging
material frequently returns to the site of a balloon angioplasty, causing the
blockage and symptoms to return. So medical scientists continued working on
devices to make the results more permanent. In 1994, the FDA approved the first
coronary artery stent for use in the United States. This tiny metal tube is
inserted with the balloon in a collapsed state. When the balloon inflates, the
stent expands, lodges itself against the artery wall and holds the artery open
after the balloon is deflated and removed.
Stents have been further
developed to slowly release medication that helps prevent arteries from
re-clogging. Today, coronary angioplasty has become a very common medical
procedure worldwide. More than one million are performed each year in the
United States alone.
Information provided by BCBSNC.
With the coronary artery stent, doctors can widen blood vessels mechanically, a viable alternative to heart surgery. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.