St. Mary’s Is First In Region To Offer First-Of-Its-Kind Dissolving Heart Stent

(Evansville, IN) St. Mary’s Health, part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, has become the first health system in Southwest Indiana and one of four in the entire state to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option – the world’s first FDA-approved dissolving heart stent.

The use of stents has been shown to be important during the first three months after a blocked artery has been opened. After that, the artery can typically remain open on its own, making dissolving stents a natural next step in stent innovation.

The Absorb stent works similarly to a metal stent: It is placed into the artery and expanded so that it pushes plaque against the artery wall and enables better blood flow. Eventually, new tissue grows over the old tissue and the stent is no longer needed. However, unlike metal stents, which are permanent, Absorb is made of naturally dissolving material, similar to dissolving sutures. The stent gradually disappears over approximately three years, after it has kept the clogged artery open and promoted healing of the treated artery segment.

“When you break a bone and get a cast, the cast comes off once the bone has healed, providing you a full range of motion. This is what we can now offer many patients through the Absorb stent,” said Dr. Philip Casino, interventional cardiologist. St. Mary’s is the first in the region to use the dissolvable stent.

While the Absorb stent is an exciting new development, it’s not quite ready to be used for each patient. The dissolvable stent is currently only available in a relatively limited number of sizes when compared to traditional metallic stents. Additionally, there are certain places in the heart where metallic stents might still be preferred.

But for patients who are eligible for the Absorb stent, there’s no question the magical device makes a difference.

“With Absorb, we’re able to leave a patient’s options open should they need future intervention,” Dr. Casino notes. “It allows us to more effectively treat those patients who may not be ideal for a metallic stent.”

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women around the world and coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease. It affects 15 million people in the U.S., but can be prevented with assistance from your doctor and living a healthier lifestyle.

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