CLEARWATER, Fla., June 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Morton Plant Hospital recently
became the first hospital in the Tampa
Bay area to use a drug-coated balloon to treat in-stent
restenosis. The hospital was ranked #1 in Florida for Cardiac Surgery in 2023 by
Healthgrades, where the area's first robotic-assisted coronary
artery bypass surgery took place in early June.
BayCare Medical Group's Interventional Cardiologist Lang Lin,
MD, and her expert team of medical professionals at Morton Plant
Hospital performed the first procedure with the drug-coated balloon
earlier this month.
Restenosis occurs when an artery that has previously been
stented narrows again because of plaque or scar tissue.
Treating in-stent restenosis remains a significant challenge for
both patients and cardiologists, even 20 years after drug-eluting
stents (which are coated with medicine to keep arteries open)
became the standard of care." Dr. Lin said.
Until now, in-stent restenosis has most commonly been treated in
one of two ways: by placing an additional stent in the stent of the
artery that has narrowed again or by performing coronary artery
bypass surgery. The challenge with two or more layers of stents is
that additional stents become less effective and more difficult to
treat. Coronary artery bypass surgery has increased risks with
older patients and sometimes limited bypass target
vessels.
The new drug-coated balloon, AGENT™ from Boston Scientific, was
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
commercial use in March. The balloon catheter, the first
drug-coated coronary balloon in the
United States, reopens the narrowed stent and releases the
high concentration of drugs to prevent scar tissue from forming and
blocking the artery wall again.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to offer this
cutting-edge treatment to our patients," Dr. Lin said. "The new
technology will help us to treat certain patients with in-stent
restenosis without the need for another stent, invasive surgery or
brachytherapy (radiation)."
For more information on heart and vascular services at
BayCare: BayCare's Heart and Vascular
Services.
About Morton Plant Hospital
Since 1916, Morton Plant
Hospital has been committed to improving the health of all it
serves through community-owned health care services that set the
standard for high-quality, compassionate care. The 599-bed hospital
is proud to offer nationally recognized care delivered in more than
50 specialty areas. Part of BayCare Health System, Morton Plant
Hospital offers innovative, accessible and quality services to
provide our community with a lifetime of compassionate, convenient
care. The hospital is located at 300 Pinellas Street in
Clearwater, Florida. For more
information, visit BayCare.org/MPH.
About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit
health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide
range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient
locations throughout the Tampa Bay
and central Florida regions. The
system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral
health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare
Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's
diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories,
imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness
centers and one of Florida's
largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is
to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned,
health care services that set the standard for high-quality,
compassionate care. For more information visit BayCare.org.
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SOURCE BayCare Health System