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ALL ARTICLES Stent, an innovative bulk metallic glass application
Stent, an innovative bulk metallic glass application
Non toxic, easy to shape and able to resist to corrosion, Bulk metallic glasses are excellent as stent’s applications
20/04/2020
Bulk Metallic Glass, also called BMG, could be the protagonist (and the origin) of an important revolution. Several years of research and studies allow us to confirm the possible application of bulk metallic glasses in the medical field in order to produce (and install) stents.
What is a stent?
Stents are “tube-like” structures used in interventional cardiology, to treat occlusions, blockages and aneurysm. They also have achieved many successes to counteract atherosclerosis.
Stents are classified in “balloon expanding” (BX) and “self expanding” (SX), depending on their deployment mechanism and peculiar properties. Bulk Metallic glass, thanks to its extraordinary resilience, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, strength and longevity of biomedical implants, could be very promising for use in SX stent applications.
Stent, a great Bulk metallic glass application
Bulk Metallic Glass alloys are stronger and harder than steel, they are non toxic and resist to wear and corrosion, they are easy to shape and elastic enough to change form and, if it’s necessary, spring back with ease and that’s why they are very well suited to dwell inside the human body.
And that’s not all.
Many stents on the market today are impregnated with a drug that diffuses into the body over time to prevent clotting. And that’s the best part: a bulk metallic glass stent could obtain a similar effect, eliminating completely the need for a drug1.
If you’re asking why, here’s the answer. When cells interact with foreign bodies, like, of course, a stent, they may provoke inflammation and rejection. Furthermore the aggressive body environment can lead to corrosion the constituent elements of the stent, raising significant questions about their long-therm biocompatibility. This doesn’t happen if you use a stent made of BMG.
The limited data available, the researches regarding BMG potential, allow us to think that it can satisfy the requirements for stent applications. A Ni-free Zr based BMG is, for example, a promising candidate for its excellent characteristics2. The good mechanical properties allow the fabrication of stents with thinner design, fact that could lower the chances of restenosis.
Moreover this new kind of stent possesses good biocorrosion resistance and clear cytocompatibility.
BMG is truly an amazing and surprising material that can have countless applications. Get in touch and continue to read our blog to find out more, or contact us to figure out how Bulk Metallic Glass could revolutionize your business.
Bulk Metallic Glass, a force of our time
1Yale School of Medicine, Jenny Blair, Summer 2019, “Scratching the surface: Metallic glass implants”, Link: https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/scratching-the-surface-metallic-glass-implants/
2Muhammad Mudasser Khan, Ali Nemati, Zia Ur Rahman, Umair Hussain Shah, Hassnain Asgar, Waseem Haider, “Recent Advancements in Bulk Metallic Glasses and Their Applications: A Review”, School of Engineering and Technology, Central Michigan University and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, September 2017, link: https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/se/Engi_Tech/fac_staff/Documents/Recent%20Advancements%20in%20Bulk%20Metallic%20Glasses%20and%20Their%20Applications%20A%20Review.pdf
