Cardiology Associates Of North Mississippi Offers Heart Patients New Cypher™ Drug-Eluting Stent
10/01/2003.
The first drug-eluting stent to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the percutaneous treatment of obstructed coronary arteries, the new CYPHER™ sirolimus-eluting stent, is now being utilized by interventional cardiologists with Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi.
The metal stent itself keeps the artery propped open while simultaneously releasing the drug sirolimus into the vessel wall. The drug is slowly released over 90 days into the vessel wall in order to prevent scar tissue growth within the stent, which can often lead to reblockage [restenosis]. The CYPHER stent, which was approved for the treatment of previously untreated coronary artery lesions, was developed to address the problem of restenosis, which occurs in as many as 15-30% of patients who receive a bare metal stent.
“The CYPHER Stent provides new hope for patients with challenging case histories,” stated Barry D. Bertolet, M.D. “We are pleased to be the first cardiology group in the region and state to provide this advanced stent therapy to our patients and our community.”
Results of large-scale studies involving 1,400 patients worldwide show that the CYPHER stent, reduces the incidence of restenosis by more than 90% over a bare metal stent, and patients–including diabetic patients–treated with the CYPHER stent have a 95% success rate in avoiding repeat procedures. In the U.S. study (called the SIRIUS study), 1,058 patients received either the Cypher stent or an uncoated stainless steel stent. The patients in the SIRIUS study had blockages of 15mm to 30mm long in arteries that were 2.5mm to 3.5mm wide. Results were similar for both types of stents in the weeks immediately following the procedure, but after nine months the patients who received the drug-eluting stent had a significantly lower rate of repeat procedures than patients who received the uncoated stent (4.2 percent versus 16.8 percent). In addition, patients treated with the drug-eluting stent had a restenosis rate of 8.9%, compared to 36.3% of patients with the uncoated stent. The combined occurrence of repeat angioplasty, bypass surgery, heart attacks and death was 8.8% for drug-eluting stent patients and 21% for the uncoated stent patients. A smaller study of 238 patients conducted outside of the U.S. (the RAVEL study) was similar to the SIRIUS study, but it evaluated patients with shorter blockage of the coronary artery. That study showed even more impressive reductions in repeat procedures and restenosis.
CANM’s Tupelo-based team of six interventional cardiologists perform nearly 1,500 stenting procedures annually. “Our commitment to bringing patients new, innovative technologies like this truly distinguishes CANM,” added Dr. Bertolet. “The new CYPHER Stent is a prime example of a technological breakthrough that’s having an immediate, positive effect on clinical results. In turn, we encourage physicians who would like further insight on the new CYPHER Stent to contact us.”