Coronary stents were developed in the mid-1980s and since then have seen major refinements in design and composition.

When did they start putting in stents?

The first coronary stent was implanted into a patient by Jacques Puel in Toulouse, France, on March 28, 1986. In their report in French, they used the term endo-prothèses coronariennes autoexpansives.

How long have stents been around?

In the 40 years since that first procedure, what do you think has been the biggest advance in angioplasty? The stent, which was introduced in 1986, was the only innovation that dramatically improved the overall performance of the procedure.