About stents
A stent is a plastic tube, generally made of silicone. It is covered with projections or studs on the outside to help keep it in place. Stents come in various widths and lengths.
Airway stents are generally placed in the windpipe (trachea) or the larger airways of the right and left lung. They are inserted to bypass an obstruction or narrowing in the airway and allow air to flow to the lung below the stent. Stents are often placed for obstructions or narrowing caused by benign or cancerous tumors, scars, compression or collapse.
How airway stents are inserted
Stents are placed under general anesthesia, using a special metal tube called a rigid bronchoscope. This device allows a physician to look into your lungs while a second hollow tube, or pusher, is placed through the bronchoscope to release the stents. Stents that are placed high in the windpipe or trachea, below the voice box or larynx, may require suturing to hold them in place.
Benefits of stents
A stent allows the airway to remain open, so that recipients may not need to have a tracheostomy (a plastic tube placed through the front wall of the neck) or use a breathing machine. Because of this, stents can dramatically improve the patient’s quality of life and ability to function. Depending on the person's underlying disease and response to treatment, the stent may be temporary or permanent.
After your procedure
Airway stents require daily care. Three or four times each day, you'll do breathing treatments using a humidifying device known as a nebulizer to help keep the stent clean. You'll also be asked to drink plenty of water every day.
Alternatives to airway stents
Few alternatives exist to airway stents. For narrowing below the voice box, a tracheostomy (a tube placed through the front of the windpipe) may be placed. In appropriate patients, primary surgical repair may be done.
Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be considered, but treatment may take several weeks to be effective. All options will be discussed so the most appropriate choice can be made.
PH699 (Revised 01/2008)