UPMC says it’s  the first hospital in western Pennsylvania to use a new type of stent, that dissolves inside the patient. On Tuesday, doctors in Pittsburgh implanted the device in a 58-year-old woman with severe coronary artery disease.

 

A cardiology researcher at  UPMC says by resorbing over time, the implant  allows the  blood vessel’s natural function to be restored without being restricted by  a traditional metallic stent.

 

“We’re only at the beginning of understanding the potential benefits of this technology that could have long-lasting impacts for our patients,” said Catalin Toma, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Director for Interventional Cardiology Research at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and one of the initial medical experts with access to the technology.  

 

UPMC Presbyterian took part in the clinical trial that led to the recent FDA approval of the device.