Health Tip: At the Heart of a Stent

(HealthDay News) -- A coronary stent is a hollow tube-shaped device that is surgically inserted into a blood vessel to keep it open.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says a coronary stent may be used to treat the following conditions:

• Coronary heart disease.
• Peripheral artery disease.
• Renal artery stenosis, for a narrowing of the artery that provides blood to the kidneys.
• Carotid artery disease.
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm, for a bulging of the aorta near the abdomen.