Stent out. Others attribute the noun "stent" to Jan F. Esser, a Dutch plastic surgeon who in 1916 used the word to describe a dental impression compound invented in 1856 by the English dentist Charles Stent (1807–1885), whom Esser employed to craft a form for facial reconstruction. The full account is described in the "Journal of the History of Dentistry". According to the author, from the use of Stent's compound as a support for facial tissues evolved the use of a stent to hold open various bodily structures. The first (self-expanding) "stents" used in medical practice in 1986 by Ulrich Sigwart
Charles A. Hufnagel Charles A. Hufnagel Charles A. Hufnagel, M.D. (August 15, 1916 – May 31, 1989) was an American surgeon who in the early 1950s invented the first artificial heart valve. Dr. Hufnagel was born in Louisville, Kentucky and was reared in Richmond, Indiana. His father was also a surgeon. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. At Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, he began work on the heart and other organ transplants and explored the use of plastic to replace blood vessels, developing a technique called multi-point fixation, which would have great