BIOTRONIK ABSORBABLE METAL STENT OPENS BLOCKED LEG ARTERIES

Initial results of a study with a bioabsorbable metal stent show that the novel device works as intended -- to prop open blocked leg arteries before being fully absorbed into the artery wall, so that complications common with standard stents don't occur.

The researchers presented the findings Jan. 18 at the 17th International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy in Miami Beach, Fla. The human trial showed that a larger percentage of arteries that received the absorbable stent remained open six months later than the reported success rate with conventional stents. The people in the trial all had severely blocked arteries below the knees, a condition called peripheral arterial disease that can lead to amputation. Six months after the implant, long after the stents had been absorbed, 15 of 19 arteries remained open.

The absorbable stent, which is made of an alloy of 90 percent magnesium and 10 percent rare earth elements, is manufactured by Biotronik, a private German company with a U.S. subsidiary in Lake Oswego, Ore.