KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Borgess Medical Center says it was the first facility in the state of Michigan to successfully install a dissolvable heart stent into one of its patients.
The implant was approved by the FDA last month and the surgery occurred days ago.
Dr. Vishal Gupta says the breakdown of the old metal stents caused problems.
“They would leave some metal behind that was always there,” Gupta said. “It may cause chronic inflammation of the artery, and it may cause re-blocking.”
And that buildup occasionally made it difficult to install new stents and sometimes disqualified patients from future procedures.
Now, that’s no longer a worry.
“This leap is of epic proportion,” Gupta said. “I mean, a patient can come in and tell you, ‘You know what? I had a stent put in two years ago, and I don’t have any stents anymore.’”
