Propping open clogged heart arteries with a "disappearing stent" has worked well for three years in the first people implanted with the unique device, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.
The new bioabsorbable magnesium stent (DREAMS) is a drug-releasing tube that is reabsorbed over time, leaving behind a healthy vessel and reducing clotting that sometimes occurs 12-24 months after implantation of a traditional drug-coated stent.
Of 46 people implanted with the stent, the failure rate was 6.8 percent, with two patients requiring vessel-opening procedures and one suffering a heart attack during angiography one year after receiving the stent.
During the second year, no patient had a heart attack, heart-related death or developed a blood clot within the stent. Various imaging techniques confirmed that the stents were being absorbed as planned.