Femtosecond Laser Nanotexturing of Drug-Eluting Stents

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have profoundly affected the field of interventional cardiology by dramatically reducing the problem of in-stent restenosis. However, the adverse, long-term, thrombosis raises the questions on the safety profile of DES. Femtosecond pulsed laser nanotexturing of metallic stents was performed to minimize thrombosis by improving three fundamental characteristics of DES: (1) increase the availability of drug for elution; (2) enhance the adhesion between stent and drug; and (3) minimize and, if possible, eliminate the polymer carrier. Results of laser-induced nanoprotrusion/drug interactions confirmed these benefits and indicated that femtosecond laser nanotexturing is a potential cost-effective solution for improving the performance and safety of DES while eliminating the need for postfinishing operations.