Application of Mg-based alloys for cardiovascular stents

Over 15 million people are living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the USA currently. The standard treatment for CVD is stent angioplasty for which bare metal stents are widely used; however, they are permanent and often lead to in-stent restenosis. Magnesium (Mg) alloys are perhaps the most clinically-advanced solution to these problems, because they are biodegradable, and their good biocompatibility will decrease restenosis. Two major drawbacks of Mg materials are fast degradation and not enough mechanical strength. These can be improved through alloying with other elements and surface treatments. Here, we summarised the recent developments on Mg-based stents materials, including alloying, manufacturing, surface modification, in vitro/in vivo biocompatibility analysis, and clinical tries.