Bangalore: Use of biodegradable stents (a device used to support a bodily orifice or cavity) in Angioplasty instead of ordinary metal stents is a breakthrough in stent technology being practised by many leading hospitals today, Dr A Murlidhar, chief managing director, of Trinity Hospital and Heart Foundation in Bangalore said today (Dec 4, 2004).

Such a stent which is used to restore the blood flow to the coronory artery blocked by cholesterol deposits, gets completely absorbed into the body of the patient and therefore does not occupy any space in the artery, he said in a statement in Bangalore.

"We are using such stents in our hospital as it is of great advantage to Indians who have smaller arteries. Since it is completely absorbed by the body, future procedures if required can be done safely," he said.