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A coronary stent is a small mesh tube placed inside a coronary artery to help keep it open. Coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle, and they can become narrowed or blocked by plaque. A stent is usually placed during coronary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention. Once expanded, the stent stays in the artery to help improve blood flow.
read more about coronary stent ...A coronary stent is used to treat narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. It can help relieve reduced blood flow to the heart and can be used during treatment for certain heart attacks or symptoms of coronary artery disease. A balloon catheter first widens the narrowed area, and the stent helps hold the artery open afterward. The goal is to improve blood flow, but a stent does not cure coronary artery disease.
Drug-eluting stents are the most common type used today and release medication that helps reduce tissue growth inside the stent. Bare-metal stents are older metal mesh stents without a drug coating and are used less often in many settings. Some stents are made with special coatings or designs for specific clinical needs. The cardiology team chooses the stent based on artery size, blockage type, bleeding risk, medication needs, and the overall treatment plan.
A coronary stent is placed during a catheter-based procedure. A clinician inserts a thin tube through a blood vessel, often in the wrist or groin, and guides it to the blocked coronary artery. A small balloon expands the stent against the artery wall, then the balloon and catheter are removed. Imaging and blood flow checks help confirm that the artery is open before the procedure ends.
After stent placement, patients usually need antiplatelet medication to lower the risk of a clot forming in the stent. The exact medicines and duration depend on the stent type, heart condition, bleeding risk, and cardiologist’s instructions. Follow-up care also focuses on cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, diet, exercise, and cardiac rehabilitation when recommended. Chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, stroke symptoms, or heavy bleeding after the procedure needs urgent care.
Most coronary stents stay in place permanently. Over time, tissue grows around the stent and it becomes part of the artery wall.
No. A stent helps open a narrowed or blocked artery, but coronary artery disease still needs ongoing treatment and risk-factor control.
Yes. Restenosis or a clot inside the stent can occur, though modern treatment reduces those risks. Taking prescribed medications and attending follow-up visits are important.
Do not stop antiplatelet medicine unless the cardiologist tells you to. Stopping too soon can raise the risk of a serious clot inside the stent.
What is a Stent? American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/treatment-of-a-heart-attack/stent. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Stents - Living With a Stent. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/stents/living-with. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Coronary angioplasty and stents. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/coronary-angioplasty/about/pac-20384761. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Angioplasty and Stent Placement for the Heart. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/angioplasty-and-stent-placement-for-the-heart. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Coronary Drug-Eluting Stent - Product Classification. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPCD/classification.cfm?ID=NIQ. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.