Stentys Self-Apposing Stent Proves Superior To Conventional Treatment Of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Stents have been used for several years to treat patients who have acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also commonly known as a heart attack. Despite extensive research and lab tests, several patients are still coming back to the operating table for restenosis (replacing or readjusting current stent in the body). There is no such thing as a perfect stent, however, some companies are working hard to create a stent with minimal drawbacks. Stentys, a company that develops stents to treat AMI, recently conducted a trial to find the main causes of restenosis, and how it can be reduced.

The results of the trial showed that just 3 days after AMI, "28% of the patients treated with conventional stents displayed significant malapposition, meaning that the stent is not in contact with the artery wall." Malapposition can cause fatal complications such as in-stent thrombosis (arterial blockage inside the stent). The malapposed stent could also create an environment that causes abnormal flow in the artery.

Stentys has developed a stent that is "self-apposing", meaning that it "fits snuggly" against the contours of the arterial wall. The Stentys self-apposing stent acts as a spring once implanted. It adapts to anatomical changes in arteries that are undergone by patients who have recently experienced AMI. The Stentys stents were all perfectly apposed whereas malapposition was observed in one in four patients treated with conventional stents. This evidence shows that the new self-apposing stents created by Stentys are much safer than conventional stents for treatment of AMI.

Why this applies to me:

Cardiovascular complications are rampant in my family. Just last year my grandmother passed away due to cardiovascular complications. Several years before her death, she had more than one stent placed in her arteries. The article also explained that this was the first clinical trial that has investigated this issue. I can't help but think how things would have been different for her if this research had been done years ago, and the self-apposing stent would have been created much earlier. Much of my family is inactive, which is the main cause of CVD. Even though I try to stay active and eat healthy, I still share the same genes as my relatives who suffer from CVD. These stents may save my life or more importantly lives of others, including my relatives. AMI affects 100,000 people per year in Europe and approximately 900,000 people per year in the United States.

Daniel Jobe VTPP 434-501

Sources:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/202457.php

http://www.stentys.com/22/5/documents/press-releases.html