Bellvitge University Hospital is the first in Spain to implement a new type of stent for coronary artery lesions
<p>The device combines the ease of fitting metal stents with the benefits of bioabsorbable stents, as the stent structure disappears in 6-12 months</p>
The Bellvitge University Hospital, together with the University Hospital Virgen Macarena in Sevilla, has carried out the first implantations in Spain for metal bioabsorbable stents to treat lesions and obstructions to coronary arteries.
These lesions, which cause angina, heart attacks and coronary artery atherosclerosis (the main cause of cardiovascular death rates), are normally treated by fitting stents. The spring-shaped devices correct the narrowing of the artery and come in two different types: metal and bioabsorbable.
The device produced in Bellvitge is innovative in that it combines the advantages of metal stents, which are easier to implement, and the advantages of bioabsorbable stents, which see the intracoronary structure disappear after 6-12 months and encourage recovery and better working arteries.
The stent is made with completely biocompatible components, preventing the risks associated with atherosclerosis and avoiding the introduction of permanent implants that can be problematic over the long term. The new device, called Magmaris, is supported by Biosolve II clinical trials and has compelling safety data, with thrombosis rates of 0%. The research has been carried out for 14 years in centers in Germany and Switzerland.
The doctor Àngel Cequier, clinical director of the Department of Heart Disease at the Bellvitge University Hospital, called it a "remarkable breakthrough in interventional cardiology". According to Dr. Joan Antoni Gómez-Hospital, clinical director of the Interventional Cardiology Unit at Bellvitge, it is also a technical improvement as it achieves optimal results without adding any complexity to procedures.