Cardiologists at Apollo Hospitals, Madurai, say they have successfully implanted a dissolvable stent in a 42-year-old patient who reported with high blood pressure, chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Upon examination, he was diagnosed with a single blockage and a blood clot in his left anterior descending artery.
With consent from the patient’s family, senior interventional cardiologist, Vivek Bose, went ahead with the non-surgical procedure to use the Bioresorbable Stent (BRS) as opposed to the conventional metal stents. The procedure took 40 minutes and the patient was discharged within two days.
Briefing mediapersons on Friday, Dr. Bose said implanting a stent made with a naturally soluble material (called PLLA) is a milestone in cardiac sciences, as it sets the artery free from being trapped in a metal encasement. “It is not an evolution but a revolution,” he said, because the stent dissolves within three years and helps the artery regain its normal state and reduces the patient’s dependency on medicines. There is less than a five per cent chance of clots recurring at the same place,he added.
It has been only two months since Indian cardiologists have started using the self-dissolving stent commercially. According to him, about 100 such procedures have been done across the country so far, and this was the first in south Tamil Nadu.
Gujarat-based Meril Life Sciences is the only company manufacturing the Europe-certified 100 micron thin stent approved by the Drug Controller General of India. The stent costs ₹90,000, and Dr. Bose hoped that as more companies started production of this safe and effective device, the price would become more competitive.
Dr Bose said BRS is going to be the future of treating heart blockages given its many advantages. But he expressed his concern over the increasing incidence of Coronary Artery Diseases. According to him, India has the highest number of deaths due to cadiovascular diseases. He stressed the importance of a healthy diet and active lifestyle to keep the disease at bay.
