Development and assessment of 316LVM cardiovascular stents

One of the most common causes for heart failure is vasoconstriction. The medical procedure for alleviating vasoconstriction, angioplasty, calls for intracoronary stents. And the manufacture of intracoronary stents demands absolutely unmatched precision. Current study investigates CNC controlled pulsed Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium aluminium garnet) laser for cutting complex geometry of a stent on 316LVM tubings. It has been shown that surface quality of cardiovascular stents has a significant influence on biocompatibility. Therefore, optimal method and parameters for acid pickling of these slotted tube laser cut stents were explored, as a pretreatment for electropolishing. Pickling was necessary prior to electropolishing for removing the oxide films covering the stent surface. An optimal condition for electrochemical polishing could also be established and it caused a smooth stent surface. Passivation of these electropolished stents was done. Furthermore, materials characterization of stents was performed by means of composition and microstructural analysis. Published by Elsevier B.V.