Dissolvable Stent Deployed to Heart Patient for the First Time After FDA Approval

Coronary artery disease is commonly treated with metal stents, which are tiny mesh tubes that prop open clogged heart arteries. In contrast, a new stent - first-of-its-kind drug eluting ABSORB Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) - is made of a material, called polylactide, similar to dissolving medical stitches that slowly disappears in about two years. Patients benefit because ABSORB BVS treats the vessel and dissolves, allowing the artery to resume more natural function and movement because it is free of a metallic implant.

The same PinnacleHealth team that participated in a three-year clinical trial designed to evaluate potential benefits of ABSORB, announced it deployed the device for the first time after FDA approval for commercial use. The recipient was the first in Pennsylvania to receive the device post-trial and the first patient in the in the United States treated with a BVS for heart attack.

ABSORB is referred to as a scaffold to indicate its temporary nature, unlike a permanent metallic stent. ABSORB works by restoring blood flow to the heart, keeping the vessel open until it can stay open on its own and then dissolving completely over time. The trial showed that ABSORB performed as well as a drug-coated metallic stent.

"As a physician, it is invigorating to be a part of clinical research that positively impacts our patients in central Pennsylvania," said William Bachinsky, director of cardiovascular research and the cardiac catheterization labs at PinnacleHealth. "By participating in clinical trials at PinnacleHealth, we bring cutting-edge technology to the region years before FDA approval for commercial use."

Source-Newswise