In-
stent restenosis (ISR) and
stent thrombosis (ST) are the most serious complications of coronary angioplasty and stenting. Although the evolution of
drug-eluting stents (DES) has significantly restricted the incidence of ISR, they are associated with an enhanced risk of ST. In the present study, we explore the photothermal ablation of a
thrombus using a nano-enhanced thermogenic
stent (NETS) as a modality for revascularization following ST. The photothermal activity of NETS, fabricated by coating bare
metal stents with
gold nanorods generating a thin plasmonic film of
gold, was found to be effective in rarefying clots formed within the
stent lumen in various in vitro assays including those under conditions mimicking blood flow. NETS implanted in the rat common carotid artery generated heat following exposure to a NIR-
laser that led to effective restoration of blood flow within the occluded vessel in a model of
ferric chloride-induced
thrombosis. Our results present a proof-of-concept for a novel photothermal ablation approach by employing coated
stents in the non-invasive management of ST.