Numerical simulation of drug eluting coronary stents: mechanics, fluid dynamics and drug release

Mathematical models and numerical methods have emerged as fundamental tools in the investigation of life sciences. In particular, this is the case of medical devices as cardiovascular drug eluting stents where experimental/clinical evidence may often be very expensive and extremely variable. We present here a complete overview of mathematical models and numerical methods applied to the modelling of drug eluting stents and of their interaction with the coronary arteries. This is a challenging task because it involves mechanics, fluid dynamics and mass transfer processes. In particular, we will focus on the importance of the interplay between all these factors to determine the efficacy of the device.