Drug-eluting stent with rhombic-shape reservoirs for drug delivery

Abstract

A novel drug-eluting stent with rhombic-shape drug reservoirs is proposed, aimed at providing smart drug delivery and longer fatigue life. By creating the rhombic-shape reservoirs, a stent could increase its total drug capacity and improves its stress distribution for fatigue life enhancement. Simulation results showed that the total drug capacity of our stent could be significantly increased without sacrificing its fatigue life. This is astonishing considering that the stent mechanical integrity could be deteriorated by creating channels on the stent structure.