Two Mumbai hospitals achieve breakthrough in coronary stents

Two city hospitals today earned the distinction of being the first in the country to use fourth generation coronary stents, known as "Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold [BVS]", in two patients.

In a breakthrough procedure, leading cardiologists from Bombay Hospital and Jaslok Hospital used the fourth generation coronary stents.

The Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold "AbsorbTM", developed by Abbott Vascular, is the 4th revolution in Intervention Cardiology. It is unique and it disintegrates and disappears in the body within 2 years, a release said here.

Early this morning, Dr B K Goyal, Director–Cardiology, Bombay Hospital, along with his team of doctors, performed this breakthrough procedure in a 37-year-old man, a release from the hospital said.

An hour later, a team of doctors at Jaslok Hospital comprising Dr A B Mehta, Dr Ajit Desai and Dr S R Handa placed Coronary  stent, "AbsorbTM" in a 57-year-old man, the release added.

For the first time, young patients will benefit from this revolutionary therapy as it provides options for future interventions unobstructed by a permanent implant. It will eliminate sources of Vessel inflammation and irritation and restore it to a more natural state. Also, patients may no longer require the prolonged antiplatelet (DAPT) therapy for lifelong, Dr Goyal said.

"The learning curve for the doctors is simple and easy for this kind of stents. One must possess full knowledge about the stent and the blocked area in the artery should be adequately opened before such a stent. In time to come, this will replace currently used metallic stents completely," said Dr Mehta, International Cardiologist, Jaslok Hospital.