Health Information Center – CedrikaProvencher

After the era of the use of a stent (a kind of metal frame) to create a clogged blood vessels open and drug-coated stents to prevent re-blockage, now comes the latest coronary artery therapy, ie drug-coated balloons (drug eluting balloon / DEB).

Drug eluting balloon is used in the same way as coronary catheter for dilation of narrowed blood vessels. The difference is this DEB antiproliferatif issued a drug called paclitaxel to be absorbed by the walls surrounding the blood vessels. The drug is also used for drug-coated stent (drug eluting stents / DES).

Coronary therapeutic progress was made by Prof. Dr. Dr. Teguh Santoso, SpPD, SpJP, interventions and cardiology experts in diseases of the RSCM and FKUI-Unverdorben Martin, MD, PhD, cardiologist and researcher and developer of therapeutic drug-coated balloon from Germany in the educational media Sequent Please, New Findings Salut medicine, in RS.Medistra, Jakarta, Thursday (19/11).

Installation of DES, or laymen call it a ring, is now a common procedure and proved effective for patients with coronary heart disease to widen the artery so that the path of blood flow back smoothly without surgery. However, this therapy has a risk of narrowing again. “The gaps between the stents can cause new or neointimal crust,” said Teguh.

With drug-coated balloon therapy, the risk of narrowing of the arteries due to reduced drug that permeates into the blood vessel wall. “Disposal of drugs does not require a stent, but it was easily absorbed by the body material,” said Martin.

In a study of 52 patients who tested either by using the DEB and the balloon is not covered in conventional medicine, is known in six months only 5 percent of DEB patients who require repeated intervention because of the constriction.

Another benefit of this drug-coated balloon was able to reach areas of narrowing and can not be accessed by the stent. “This new therapy can be used for cases of re-narrowing of arteries post stent or blood vessels are too small. And many of these cases the population in Asia,” said Teguh.

In addition, while the use of blood-thinning drug in patients with DEB are also more briefly, only 3 months, compared with DES, patients who have blood-thinning medication for 12 months. Actions and treatment costs were much lower than conventional therapy.

However, Teguh reminded that DEB is not the only therapy for coronary heart disease. “If the blood vessels narrowing again despite dibalon then forced to install a stent, but the stent was installed without the drug because the blood vessel walls are treated,” he explained.

Coronary heart disease characterized by obstruction (narrowing) coronary arteries by fatty deposits and thickening of vessel wall consisting of smooth muscle cells and extracellular matrix production is exaggerated. This causes the blood flow resistance. Patients generally feel shortness of breath and slightly depressed in the chest. According to the Teguh, most people with coronary heart disease aged less than 40 years were smokers.