SCAI Founders' Lecture traces impressive progress in interventional ...( reduce the risk of restenosis. These st...),Health

"Over the years, we have been in a relentless pursuit to re-establish blood flow through the coronary artery," said Dr. Stack. "Today, because coronary artery disease is also relentless, patients end up collecting a 'full metal jacket' of drug-eluting stents."

A metal-clad artery poses problems should the patient ever need bypass surgery. Implanted metal also makes it impossible to use increasingly powerful noninvasive imaging techniques, such as multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, to evaluate the health of the artery.

Enter bioabsorbable stents, experimental devices that have recently been implanted in humans for the first time. Bioabsorbable stents have all the strength of a metal stent, and can even release drugs into the artery to prevent restenosis. The big difference: Once the artery is healed, the bioabsorbable stent is engulfed by the arterial wall and dissolves into carbon dioxide and water, returning the artery to its natural state.

"A conventional metal stent is like having a broken arm and never getting the cast removed," Dr. Stack said. "Once the artery heals, you don't need the stent."

The Founders' Lecture is an annual tradition at the SCAI Annual Scientific Sessions. It was established to honor the pioneers of invasive/interventional cardiology and founders of SCAI.

'"/>

Contact: Kathy Boyd David
jdavid62@juno.com
717-422-1181
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
11-May-2006