Infrared emitting lanthanide doped nanoparticles provide sensing capabilities to coronary implants

Intracoronary stents have revolutionized the treatment of coronary obstructions, allowing for minimally invasive procedures and significantly enhancing both therapeutic efficacy and patient quality of life. Despite their clinical success, once implanted, stents act as passive elements, incapable of providing real-time data on the treated artery, thereby limiting early diagnosis of post-implantation complications such as inflammation, restenosis, or recurrence of atheromatous plaques. In this study, we introduce stents with deep tissue sensing capabilities through the incorporation of near-infrared emitting lanthanide-doped nanoparticles. Using 3D-printed stent prototypes, we demonstrate that the luminescence emitted by neodymium and ytterbium ions in core/shell/shell NaYF₄ nanoparticles facilitates both deep tissue visualization and tracking of the stent position. Additionally, the temperature-dependent fluorescence lifetime of Nd,Yb:NaYF₄ nanoparticles provides thermal sensitivity, allowing precise deep tissue thermal monitoring of catheter-induced heating with sub-degree accuracy. This work highlights the potential of infrared-emitting nanoparticles to drive the next generation of coronary stents, paving the way for advanced light-based diagnostics and therapeutic procedures.