Degradable metallic biomaterials for cardiovascular applications

Abstract In the last decade, the use of biomaterials has proven to improve the quality of life. Several metallic biomaterials have been developed and applied in the medical fields. The idea of biodegradable implants came into existence after getting the awareness that there is a need for an implant to naturally degrade after fulfilling its objectives. This chapter concentrates especially on degradable metals, although there are also materials made of polymers and ceramics for cardiovascular applications. The bioresorbable material “metal” is more advantageous in cardiovascular application over polymers and ceramic due to their remarkable properties including high impact strength, high ductility, and high strain energy. In this chapter we glance over the cardiovascular applications of metals including heart valves, stents, pacemaker, etc. From the various sources of literature reviews, in this chapter it can be confidently declared that biocompatible metals will continue to be used in various cardiovascular applications in near future with further advancements and new uprising biofunctionalities. We also discussed the new challenges and directions of metals in cardiovascular research.