“A stent is a small mesh tube made of either stainless steel or cobalt chromium alloys that is placed by a catheter into a narrowed (blocked) coronary artery. Stents can be used for narrowing of tubes elsewhere like the small intestines and other areas of the body. The stent helps enlarge a segment of the artery or intestines to improve blood flow, which should reduce or eliminate symptoms of chest pain when the stent is used in a artery or allow food in the intestines to go through better digestion from starting in the stomach.  This allows the patient to eat food better.”