Globally, the leading causes of natural death are attributed
to
coronary heart disease and type 1 and type 2 diabetes. High blood
pressure levels, high cholesterol levels, smoking, and poor eating
habits lead to the agglomeration of plaque in the arteries, reducing
the blood flow. The implantation of devices used to unclog vessels,
known as stents, sometimes results in a lack of irrigation due to
the excessive proliferation of endothelial tissue within the blood
vessels and is known as restenosis. The use of drug-eluting stents
(DESs) to deliver antiproliferative drugs has led to the development
of different encapsulation techniques. However, due to the potency
of the drugs used in the initial stent designs, a chronic inflammatory
reaction of the arterial wall known as thrombosis can cause a myocardial
infarction (MI). One of the most promising drugs to reduce this risk
is everolimus, which can be encapsulated in lipid systems for controlled
release directly into the artery. This review aims to discuss the
current status of stent design, fabrication, and functionalization.
Variables such as the mechanical properties, metals and their alloys,
drug encapsulation and controlled elution, and stent degradation are
also addressed. Additionally, this review covers the use of polymeric
surface coatings on stents and the recent advances in layer-by-layer
coating and drug delivery. The advances in nanoencapsulation techniques
such as liposomes and micro- and nanoemulsions and their functionalization
in bioresorbable, drug-eluting stents are also highlighted.