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Why are drug-eluting stents (DES) the ultimate choice for treating heart disease?
In recent years, drug-eluting stents (DES) have dominated the field of treating heart disease. These stents can not only effectively improve patient treatment outcomes, but also reduce the risk of recurrence of heart disease to a certain extent. With the advancement of science and technology, the design and materials of DES are also constantly improving, which makes its clinical application more widespread.
Drug-eluting stents combine the dual effects of mechanical support and drug therapy to prevent restenosis of blood vessels.
As early as the 1990s, when the first generation of stents came out, doctors had already realized that simple metal stents faced the problem of restenosis. With a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms, the medical community began to explore how to optimize the function of stents, which led to the birth of drug-eluting stents. The original design of DES is to implant a stent that can sustainably release drugs into the lumen. The purpose is to inhibit smooth muscle proliferation and thereby reduce the restenosis rate in patients with heart disease after intervention.
Most of the early DES used some effective anti-proliferative drugs, such as cimetidine (Sirolimus) and paclitaxel (Paclitaxel). The drugs are designed to be released slowly after the stent is implanted, providing treatment during the critical period after surgery. Empirical studies have shown that DES can significantly reduce the risk of restenosis, cardiac events and death from heart disease compared with traditional metal stents.
With the common development of medicine and material science, more and more design concepts are being applied to the research and development of DES.
Among them, the task is to continuously improve scaffold materials to enhance biocompatibility and reduce irritation to blood vessels. Many clinical trials have shown that the new DES is superior to previous generations of products in reducing the rate of complications and restenosis. In addition, improvements in the size, shape and drug release technology of these new DES have gradually matured, providing patients with more efficient and comfortable treatment options.
However, despite the excellent performance of DES in clinical applications, certain challenges still exist, such as the risk of stent thrombusosis. Some studies have shown that the rate of acute and subacute stent thrombosis is higher than that of unmedicated stents. This problem has also prompted researchers to continue to explore safer technical solutions.
Researchers are actively testing the potential of releasing drugs for longer periods of time and even building smart stents to minimize the risk of blood clots.
In addition, as the technology for treating heart disease continues to be explored, future research may focus on patient assessment to develop personalized treatment plans based on the cause. Researchers are also exploring the possibility of biodegradable stents, a new technology that could revolutionize the way heart disease is treated in the future.
As an important tool in the current treatment of heart disease, DES not only reduces the occurrence of complications, but also speeds up the recovery of patients. All this undoubtedly demonstrates how medical advancements can benefit human health.
But where will the future of heart disease treatment develop?
