Biodegradable Stents for Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

The quest for an ideal biodegradable stent for both adult coronary and pediatric congenital heart disease applications continues. Over the past few years, a lot of progress has been made toward development of a dedicated pediatric biodegradable stent that can be used for congenital heart disease applications. At present, there are no biodegradable stents available for use in congenital heart disease. In this article, the authors review the different biodegradable materials and their limitations and provide an overview of the current biodegradable stents being evaluated for congenital heart disease applications.

Keywords: Biocorrodible metals; Biodegradable stents; Bioresorbable polymers; Congenital heart disease; Pediatric stents; Poly-L-lactic-acid.