Design, Characterization, and 3D Printing of Cardiovascular Stents with Zero Poisson’s Ratio in Longitudinal Deformation

Abstract

Inherent drawbacks associated with drug-eluting stents have prompted the development of bioresorbable cardiovascular stents. Additive manufacturing (3-dimentional (3D) printing) has been widely applied in medical devices. In this study, we develop a novel screw extrusion-based 3D printing system with a new designed mini-screw extruder to fabricate stents. A stent with a zero Poisson’s ratio (ZPR) structure is designed, and a preliminary monofilament test is conducted to investigate appropriate fabrication parameters. 3D-printed stents with different geometric structures are fabricated and analyzed by observation of the surface morphology. An evaluation of the mechanical properties and a preliminary biological evaluation of 3D-printed stents with different parameters are carried out. In conclusion, the screw extrusion-based 3D printing system shows potential for customizable stent fabrication.