Reliability analysis for implanted multi-stent systems with stochastic dependent competing risk processes

In this paper, we extend the previous work on reliability modeling of implanted stents in human arteries to a multi-component system of stents subject to delayed and instantaneous failures. Considering the physics- and probability-of-failure, we develop a system-level reliability model by combination of fracture mechanics and stochastic processes for a multi-component system of stents implanted in human arteries. In our new system-level reliability model, due to exposure of stents to the same shocks, the component failure times are probabilistically dependent. Two patient groups with different activity levels are considered and their corresponding system-level reliability functions are derived. Numerical examples using data from literature are presented to analyze the reliability of implanted multi-stent systems.