Baptist Hospital is the First and Only Facility in the Region to use Drug-Coated Stent for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Treatment
PENSACOLA, FLA. (March 25, 2013) – Baptist Hospital and its team of experienced cardiovascular specialists, Cardiology Consultants, are one of a few heart and vascular teams in the nation – and the only in Northwest Florida – to implant a new device for treatment of circulation disorder of the legs, known as peripheral artery disease (PAD).
The Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Vascular Stent is drug-coated and designed to help an artery in the leg stay open and unblocked from plaque, which can cause severe narrowing of the artery in PAD. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device in November for use in patients with the disease, and the manufacturer selected Baptist Hospital to receive some of the first stents manufactured for public use. Baptist’s cardiovascular specialists implanted the region’s first non-trial Zilver PTX stent last week.
“The development of drug eluting stents that are specifically designed for lower extremities represents a major breakthrough in the treatment of patients with PAD,” said Safwan Jaalouk, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., the cardiovascular specialist who was the first to implant the innovative stent on the Gulf Coast and also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. “These stents have been available in Europe for a while and have proven to have superior performance compared to currently available treatment, along with an excellent safety record. We are pleased to be able to offer it.”
Stents, tubes of flexible metal mesh, have long been an effective nonsurgical option in treating PAD, which affects an estimated 8 million people in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. Dr. Jaalouk said that patients receive the stent via insertion of a small catheter in the groin, without needing a surgical incision. This is usually done as an outpatient procedure. Patients are able to return to work after only two days in many cases. This minimally invasive nonsurgical approach has revolutionized the treatment of patients with PAD. In traditional stenting, re-narrowing of the artery following intervention, known as restenosis, occurs occasionally and may require a second procedure.
Dr. Jaalouk added that Paclitaxel, which is the drug that coats the new Zilver stent, inhibits the growth of scar tissue which is the cause of restenosis. Patients with an implanted Zilver stent are less likely to experience restenosis than patients receiving a non-coated metal stent. Paclitaxel coated stents have been used for some time in the coronary (heart) arteries and have proven to be safe and effective.
“We are proud to be chosen as the first group in the area to provide this leading-edge technology to our patients,” said Dr. Jaalouk.
To make an appointment for heart or vascular care, call the Cardiology Consultants office at 850.484.6500 or visit CountonBaptist.orgto learn more about the many innovative cardiovascular procedures offered
