New Device for CAD Used at THI

A new stent for treating coronary artery disease (CAD) is now on the market and being used at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. The stent, called the ACS MULTI-LINK Coronary Stent System, was approved by the FDA on October 2 and was used for the first time in Texas on October 7 by Dr. Emerson C. Perin, cardiologist, at the institute.

"The main advantage of the ACS MULTI-LINK stent is in its design. It is more flexible, making it easier to implant, and stronger in terms of radial strength, which helps it to hold the vessel open," says Dr. Perin. "It is the first in a series of new stents that will make a difference. It comes in two different lengths: 15 mm and 25 mm; therefore, with certain lesions the physician can use one stent, instead of several, to cover the whole lesion more evenly."

The ACS MULTI-LINK stent is a small latticed stainless steel tube that is placed into the coronary artery by a balloon catheter. Once the stent is placed at the site of the blocked artery, the balloon is inflated, which makes the stent expand and press against the vessel wall. The balloon is deflated and removed, while the stent stays in place and holds the blood vessel open. The procedure allows blood to flow more freely in the blood vessel.

Physicians in Europe have been using the ACS MULTI-LINK stent since November 1995. Randomized clinical trials in the United States and Canada that involved more than 1,300 patients at 59 investigation sites provided the basis for the FDA approval. Dr. Perin acted as an investigator during clinical trials of the stent at the Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Perin will be training physicians on how to use this stent at centers across the United States.

- JENNIFER SNYDER

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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