Fabrication and Characterization of Plla/Pcl/Mg-Zn-Y Alloy Composite Stent

The bioresorbable polymeric stents (BPS) exhibit uncontrolled degradation, inadequate mechanical strength and no radiopacity. Therefore, to overcome these issues, a novel bioresorbable radiopaque Mg-Zn-Y Alloy (BRM) of high effective atomic number (Zeff) was developed to reinforce and attenuate X-rays in the polymers. BRM was blended with radiolucent poly (L-lactide)/poly (ε-caprolactone) (PLLA/PCL) polymer and extruded into biaxially expanded (BAE) tubes. PLLA/PCL/BRM and PLLA/PCL tubes were cut using the optimized Femtosecond laser machine (FSLM) parameters for fabricating the stents. This study assesses different mechanical properties required to sustain the angiography procedure, such as radial strength, crimping force, recoil and stent performance under cycling loading.