Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute First in South Florida to Implant First-of-its-kind Fully Dissolving Heart Stent

Recently approved by FDA, Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold opens clogged arteries to restore blood flow,
then gradually dissolves in the body

Miami, FL — December 19, 2016 —The interventional cardiology team at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute at Baptist Hospital recently became the first in South Florida to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option that literally disappears over time.

Ramon Quesada, M.D., Ramon Quesada, M.D., Medical Director of the Structural Heart and Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Programs at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute at Baptist Hospital, implanted a patient with the world’s first FDA-approved biodegradable heart stent or “scaffold.” The Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold is 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.

The Institute was the only South Florida medical facility to participate in the clinical trials for the new device.

While stents are traditionally made of metal, Abbott’s Absorb stent is made of a naturally dissolving material, similar to degradable sutures. Absorb disappears completely in about 3 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.

“This absorbable stent is a revolutionary advancement in the treatment of coronary artery disease,” explained Dr. Quesada, who was the principal investigator for the trials at the Institute. “It benefits the patient by treating the diseased artery then gradually dissolving, leaving a healed artery that can pulse naturally, the way it was meant to function.”

Other Institute physicians who took part in the clinical trials were Marcus St. John, M.D.; Ramon Lloret, M.D.; Rajesh Dhairyawan, M.D.; Alvaro Gomez, M.D.; and Bernardo Lopez Sanabria, M.D.

To ensure optimal patient selection and implant technique, Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute’s interventional cardiology team underwent extensive training on the new device.

Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. It also includes Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital and Baptist Outpatient Services. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Heart and connect with BaptistHealthSF on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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1 Absorb dissolves except for two pairs of tiny metallic markers that remain in the artery to enable a physician to see where the device was placed.