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Stents designed for deployment into the trachea to provide support for and/or maintain patency of the tracheal airway and to provide respiration through the larynx. These devices may consist of a metallic (e.g., mesh-like wire) or polymeric tube and they are available in several different shapes (e.g., straight, bent, T) to adapt to particular sections of the trachea and/or to prevent migration. The stent surface may be coated to give the stent special capabilities (e.g., water repellant). These stents may be deployed using rigid or flexible bronchoscopes, according to their shape and physical characteristics. Tracheal stents are used to treat proximal or middle tracheal stenosis caused by benign diseases, injuries, or malignant tumors and facilitate the flow of air into the lungs.
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