stent

noun \ ˈstent \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Definition of stent

: a short narrow metal or plastic tube often in the form of a mesh that is inserted into the lumen of an anatomical vessel (such as an artery or a bile duct) especially to keep a previously blocked passageway open

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Recent Examples of stent from the Web

Physician societies, government agencies, and others issue detailed recommendations for everything from who should receive cardiac stents to which antibiotics patients should get to avoid infections after knee surgery.

— ivan oransky, STAT, "Trump administration is shutting down practice-guidelines clearinghouse for doctors," 13 June 2018
The warning was triggered by compelling research evidence of serious complications from the stents for patients, even death.

— francesca gino, Scientific American, "Why Too Much Experience Can Backfire," 24 Apr. 2018
In the study, the greatest increase in survival rates was among patients who were seen by an interventional cardiologist but didn't receive a stent.

— karen weintraub, USA TODAY, "Cardiologist away? Then you might be more likely to survive a heart attack, study suggests," 9 Mar. 2018
The codes, the paddles, the resuscitation ... after Prior stabilized he had been moved to the cardiac catheterization lab, where four stents were placed to prevent future clotting.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Vegas Goalie Coach Dave Prior Is Lucky to Be Alive and Still Chasing His First Stanley Cup," 31 May 2018
The tax was strongly opposed by the $150 billion a year industry that produces everything from catheters to heart stents to artificial joints.

— bob salsberg, USA TODAY, "Tax on medical devices to resume after 2-year suspension," 2 Jan. 2018
The biggest reasons for Cardinal’s disappointing performance in the last quarter were problems in its Cordis unit, which sells heart stents and catheters, and generates most of its revenue from international markets, executives said.

— joseph walker, WSJ, "Cardinal Health Shares Plunge Amid Inventory, Generic-Drug Price Problems," 3 May 2018
Doctors saved Smith’s life with an emergency procedure that inserted a stent into his artery, which helped relieve the blockage.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "Kevin Smith becomes Weight Watchers ambassador after 'massive' heart attack," 23 Apr. 2018
Overall, the study also showed, stent patients fared just as well during meeting dates and non-meeting dates.

— amy norton, chicagotribune.com, "Heart attack survival better when specialists are out of town," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stent

Charles Thomas Stent †1885 English dentist

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First Known Use: 1961

in the meaning defined above

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STENT Defined for English Language Learners

stent

noun

Definition of stent for English Language Learners

medical : a metal or plastic tube that is put in a blood vessel to keep it open

Medical Dictionary

stent

noun \ ˈstent \

variants: also stint play \ˈstint\

medical Definition of stent

1 : a mold formed from a resinous compound and used for holding a surgical graft in place; also : something (as a pad of gauze immobilized by sutures) used like a stent

2 : a short narrow metal or plastic tube often in the form of a mesh that is inserted into the lumen of an anatomical vessel (as an artery or bile duct) especially to keep a previously blocked passageway open

Biographical Note for stent

Stent, Charles Thomas (1807–1885), British dentist. In the mid 19th century Stent developed a dental-impression compound containing gutta-percha, stearine, and talc, which he produced and sold with the aid of his sons Charles Robert (1845–1901) and Arthur Howard (1859–1900), who also became dentists. In 1899 the compound was trademarked under the name Stents. During World War I the Dutch plastic surgeon J. F. S. Esser discovered that Stent's compound could also be used to form molds for holding skin grafts in place, and in a 1917 publication he referred to such molds as “stents molds.” Over the next several decades the singular form stent became a generally used term in plastic and oral surgery. The meaning of stent continued to be expanded to include other types of artificial supports for human tissue. In 1954 the American surgeon William ReMine applied the term stent to a polyethylene tube used to support an anastomosis in an experimental biliary reconstruction. By 1966 stent (or sometimes stint) had been used for tubular supports in cardiovascular surgery, and by 1972 the term was also being used for urological supports.