'Disappearing' stent makes it mark in Kolkata health care service

KOLKATA: With doctors in the city starting to use Bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) in patients with coronary artery disease, the dissolvable stent is set to become a trend in future. With the disappearing stent being successfully implanted in a 51-year-old patient recently in Kolkata, heart care facilities in the city got a shot in its arm. The disappearing stent was implanted on the businessmen at BM Birla Heart Research Centre (BMBHRC).

"BVS or Absorb the latest advance in Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) therapy, a non-metallic mesh tube that is delivered on an angioplasty balloon to treat a narrowed artery, similar to a stent, but slowly dissolves once the blocked artery can function naturally again and stay open on its own," said cardiologist Dr Dhiman Kahali of BMBHRC.

"Similar to the way a cast supports a broken arm and is then removed, a BVS supports your vessel until it has the ability and strength to stay open on its own. Gradually, over a period of 2 years BVS breaks down into elements already found in your body - waterand carbon dioxide and gets eliminated" Kahali added.

Benefits to patients include the vessel expanding or contracting on its own demanded by different physical activities of the patient. It broadened the treatment and other diagnostic option and also reduces the need for anti clotting medication in the long run.

BVS has been tried and tested in more than 3000 patients in 30 countries including India. It is now available in India after permission from Drug Controller General of India. It costs between Rs 2.8 to 3 lakhs.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) develops when the arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits called plaque. As a result, it gets harder for the arteries to supply blood to the heart.

The abve was published in the Times of India

Since I myself had to under go Angioplasty operation twice and had stents inserted in my arteries, I thought this development would interest any prospective candidates of angioplasty.

Of course I wouldn't offer myself at BMHBRC, AMRI, Apollo Hospitals or Columbia Hospitals. I have heard too many cases of their fleecing patients to trust them.

I would prefer to put myself in the more reliable hands of RTIIC where my earlier operations were done by Dr. Sunil Lihla