The Hospital Clínic de Barcelona has been a pioneer in the National Health System (SNS) and one of the first health centres in the world to use a new stent covered with ePTFE (expandable polytetrafluoroethylene, a material that channels the blood flow) indicated for the treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disease, as well as occlusions (arteriosclerosis) in the iliac and renal arteries, ruptures, aneurysms and fistulas.
Occlusive arterial disease is a circulatory problem in which arterial obstruction reduces the blood flow, leading to ischaemia and necrosis or gangrene. Aneurysm is an abnormal dilation of an artery, which can cause it to rupture. Compared to open surgery, the covered stent represents a minimally invasive therapeutic alternative and improves treatment, associated with fewer complications and a fast recovery, thus improving patients’ quality of life.
“The technological innovation has been and remains constant, with a clear pursuit of perfection to be equally effective as classic or open surgery, and with as little trauma as possible for the patient”, indicated Dr. Vicente Riambau, Chief of Vascular Surgery at the Clinic’s Cardiovascular Institute.
The new covered stent, designed by the iVascular R&D team, is one step further in the technological evolution to improve the treatment of peripheral arterial disease. The innovative design of the metallic component used in the stent and its polymeric ePTFE coating ensure the effective, precise and safe treatment of lesions.
This new balloon-extendible stent “provides great flexibility to adapt to the most tortuous arteries and is the only covered stent with radio-opaque markers, giving it exceptional visibility, facilitating its navigation and providing it with excellent precision”, according to Dr. Riambau, who worked on the design of the device given his vast experience in endovascular interventions.
The first case was performed by the specialist, who confirms that “the first clinical experiences have been outstanding, demonstrating the good characteristics and behaviour of the stent”.
