The Jim Moran Heart and Vascular Research Institute at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale is the one of the first in the region to enroll patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a clinical trial studying a “dissolving ” cardiac stent to treat heart disease.
The ABSORB III™ clinical trial recently started in the United States. Interventional cardiologists at Holy Cross implanted the Absorb™ cardiac stent, a small mesh tube that is designed to open a blocked heart vessel, restore blood flow to the heart and then dissolve into the blood vessel over time.
Since the 1970s, physicians have treated patients with CAD with balloon angioplasty, metallic and drug eluting metallic cardiac stents, allowing many patients to avoid open heart surgery. Unlike a metallic stent that remains permanently in the body, Absorb™ dissolves over time.
“The goal of the Absorb cardiac stent is to restore the vessel to a more natural state and enable natural vessel function for improved long-term outcomes,” said Joshua Purow, M.D., Principal Investigator.
