Beebe cardiology offers fully dissolving heart stent

The interventional cardiology team at Beebe Healthcare recently became the first on the Delmarva Peninsula to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option that literally disappears over time.

Dr. Ehtasham Qureshi, a board-certified interventional cardiologist, recently performed the first implants at Beebe. The Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold is the world's first FDA-approved dissolving stent, signaling a major advance in the treatment of coronary artery disease, which affects 15 million people in the United States and remains a leading cause of death worldwide despite decades of therapeutic advances.

While stents are traditionally made of metal, Abbott's Absorb stent is made of a naturally dissolving material, similar to dissolving sutures. Absorb starts to dissolve after implantation in a blocked artery and disappears completely in about three years, after it has done its job of keeping a clogged artery open and promoting healing of the treated artery segment. By contrast, metal stents are permanent implants.

"The Absorb bioresorbable scaffold represents a breakthrough in the way we treat blocked arteries," said Qureshi, who completed the procedure via a novel wrist approach. "Patients now have the advantage of stent placement to promote healing, and, at the same time, there will be no residual foreign metal left in the artery. No metal means the treated artery can pulse and flex naturally as demands on the heart change with everyday activities. It may also reduce the potential for future blockages."

The dissolving stent technology is suitable for most patients, especially for seniors who would not be able to take essential blood thinners if implanted with a metal stent.

"Interestingly, our first stent was placed in an octogenarian, and the second stent was placed in a 48-year-old patient," Qureshi said.

To ensure optimal patient selection and implant technique, Beebe's interventional cardiology team underwent extensive training on the new device.

"Beebe Healthcare is continuing to improve and expand cardiac and vascular patient care services," said Lynn Amey, MHA, BSN, RN-BC, executive director of cardiac and vascular services at Beebe. "We are also planning to build additional cardiac catheterization lab suites and a hybrid operating room to accommodate our growing program."

"At Beebe Healthcare, we and our community are fortunate to have skilled clinicians that are always looking at ways to improve the services we provide to our patients," said Jeffrey Fried, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare. "Whether it's preventive programs like the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program, new approaches to treat arrhythmias, as in our cardiac electrophysiology program, or the new dissolving stent technology, our cardiologists are continually looking at ways to bring the most advanced programs to Beebe so patients can stay in our community and get the same treatment they would receive at larger hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region."

Beebe Healthcare is one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Procedures in 2017, according to Healthgrades. Beebe is the only hospital on Delmarva to receive this recognition, and is among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation for coronary intervention procedures. These procedures include life-saving balloon angioplasties with stent insertions that open coronary arteries blocked during a heart attack.

For more information, go to www.beebehealthcare.org/cardiac-vascular-services or call 844-316-3334.