Stents Bare Metal

Bare metal stents are mesh-like tubes of thin wire without a coating or covering. Ideally, bare metal stents will be covered by a new layer of endothelial cells, sealing it into the vessel wall, within a few weeks after implant. However, a percentage of patients have their body negatively respond to the implanted foreign body, resulting in the formation of neointimal hyperplasia, a growth of scar tissue over the stent. This can cause restenosis of the vessel segment, which led to the development of drug-eluting stents (DES) now used in most patients. However, DES require the patient to take long-term antiplatelet medication, so patients who are likely to be noncompliant are often given bare metal stents.