New procedure for blocked arteries

Doctors say the procedure is beneficial for younger patients which is significant for the UAE as heart problems start at least 10-15 years earlier here as compared to patients in Europe.

The new therapy, which was undertaken for the first time at Dubai Hospital and Rashid Hospital last week, is deemed so ground-breaking that it has been hailed the ‘Fourth Revolution’ in the field of cardiology. The Dubai Health Authority is the first health entity in the Middle East and North Africa to offer the new therapy.

The therapy involves insertion of a bio-resorbable scaffold into an affected coronary artery to keep it open and thereby promote the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. The procedure is similar to the existing technique that places a ‘stent’ into a diseased artery, but with one crucial difference: whereas the stent is a permanent fixture that remains in the blood vessel, making the vessel similar to a cage, the scaffold progressively dissolves over a period of two years, leaving the artery widened but with no trace of the device left.

The first ever insertion of the device took place at Dubai Hospital’s Heart Centre and was performed by Dr Talib K. Majwal, Consultant, Interventional Cardiology, and Director of Interventional Cardiology at the centre, and Dr Fahad Baslaib, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Rashid Hospital’s Cardiology Department. The procedure took about 20 minutes, with the patient remaining conscious throughout.

“The procedure is particularly beneficial for younger patients, as there is the option for further forms of treatment in the future — something that the insertion of a metal stent precludes. This is especially significant for the UAE, as the average age that people start to experience heart problems here is 45 years, which is 10 to 15 years younger than in Europe,” Dr Majwal said. “In terms of insertion technique, the procedure is much the same as placing a stent in an affected artery, so there was no need to learn a major new set of skills for this new treatment 
paradigm.

“The huge advantage that this scaffold has over a stent is that over a period of two years, it dissolves into harmless gas and water, leaving the coronary artery free of any foreign object. This allows the artery to flex and pulsate, which is better for blood flow than having a restrictive permanent stent that turns the vessel into an inflexible cage and inhibits artery movement,” he added.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com