Originally Posted by chrisvu05
well considering a 1/2 inch stent runs in the $3000 range...i would say a frame would be pretty much the same cost as a house!! LOL....It probably only costs them 2 cents to make the dang thing out of the material....it's coming....soon enough some super alloy or polymer will be next big craze!
I'd imagine that the stent production would have to meet some quality standards that a bike wouldn't necessarily have to meet. You know, things like how they're handled during production (or not handled, as the case may be) and how they are packaged. I don't know if that in itself would drive the cost of a .02 piece of Nitinol up to $3000, but it's something to consider.
Also, does the $3000 stent include 'installation'? What kind of warranty do you get if you are unhappy with your stent? Do complaints go to the manufacturer, or the doctor that installed it? Will they give you a loaner stent, incase yours has to go back to the shop?