A heart attack is a serious medical emergency that can be life-threatening if not treated on time. For the treatment, patients may be advised Angioplasty, which is a minimally invasive medical procedure performed by Interventional Cardiologists in order to restore blood supply to the heart by opening up the choked or blocked part in the coronary arteries (these are blood vessels that supply blood to the heart). The doctor then may choose to deploy a stent on the target site in order to keep the portion open for a long time.
Dr.(Prof). Antonio Colombo, Professor of Cardiology and Senior Consultant at Humanitas University in Milan says "To prevent re-narrowing of arteries, in patients where implanting a stent is not best suited or needs to be avoided, interventional cardiology practice approves treating the patient with the use of a new medical device known as the Sirolimus drug-coated balloon catheter.
He explained "This device features a drug delivery technology platform coated onto the balloon designed to deliver sub-micron particles of sirolimus that are then encapsulated in a biocompatible drug carrier. The drug and carrier complex is designed to reach the inner layers of the vessel walls and act as a reservoir for the long-term release of sirolimus. Sirolimus is a medicine that prevents re-narrowing of the coronary artery & is backed by huge data for safety & long-term efficacy." Dr. Rajneesh Kapoor, Vice Chairman of Interventional Cardiology at Medanta Hospital says "This is a remarkable development in the treatment of heart attack with angioplasty, with the application of this new technology, in many patients, interventional cardiologists may not need to implant a stent"
He further says that “theoretically, stent-free angioplasty might be superior to angioplasty using a stent since it may prevent long-term issues of dual antiplatelet therapy (medicines to prevent blood clot), stent fracture, and stent thrombosis (formation of a blood clot around the stent).
