Bioresorbable Heart Stent Opens Patients ’ Arteries and Options
Bioresorbable Heart Stent Opens Patients ’ Arteries and Options
Making something disappear may seem like magic , but heart specialists at Yavapai Regional Medical Center ( YRMC ) know the dissolving heart stent is all about science . Introduced by medical device developer Abbott , Absorb is the only fully dissolving – or bioresorbable – stent approved by the U . S . Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of coronary artery disease . While most heart stents are metal , this first-of-its-kind stent is made of a naturally dissolving material . “ Yavapai Regional Medical Center is proud to be among the first hospitals in Arizona to make this revolutionary device available to our heart patients ,” said John Amos , YRMCʼs President and Chief Executive Officer . “ This is another example of innovation and leadership by the exceptional team at The James Family Heart Center at YRMC .” Stents – small mesh tubes – are used to open blocked arteries in the heart . These stents help restore blood flow and reduce the chance of a heart attack . YRMC cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists place stents into clogged arteries using balloon catheters . The heart specialist inflates the balloon , which expands the stent . Once itʼs locked in place , a stent allows blood to flow through previously clogged arteries . “ People are familiar with dissolving sutures ,” said Anthony V . Torres , MD , YRMCʼs Chief Medical Officer . “ The bioresorbable stent uses the same principle but at a more sophisticated level . The bioresorbable stent is a temporary scaffold that opens clogged arteries in the heart and resorbs over time .” Previously , only permanently placed metal stents were available . The bioresorbable stent is made to disappear completely in approximately three years , after it has done its job of keeping a clogged artery open and promoting healing of the treated artery segment . Heart specialists will continue using permanent metal stents to open obstructed arteries . However , for people with certain kinds of heart disease , and whose bodies metabolize cholesterol differently , the bioresorbable stent provides another option . This is welcome news
8 February 2017 pccnews