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Stent

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Key Stage 4

Meaning

 
A diagram showing a stent being inserted and expanded in a narrowed artery.

A stent is a tube which can be placed in a blood vessel to widen it for blood to pass through.

About Stents

A stent is used when a blood vessel becomes blocked.
A surgery can be performed to put the stent into a narrow blood vessel and expand the diameter of the stent to widen the passage for blood.
Stents are usually used for people with Coronary Heart Disease where there Coronary Arteries have become blocked by Cholesterol Plaques.
If a stent is not used when it is needed then a Coronary Artery can become blocked and starve the heart muscles of oxygen, causing a heart attack.

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