The Promus PREMIER™ Stent System, a new generation coronary stent manufactured by Boston Scientific in Ballybrit, Galway, was successfully implanted for the first time worldwide at the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at the 10th Annual Live PCI Course held at St. James Hospital this month. This is the seventh drug-eluting coronary stent developed and commercialised by Boston Scientific over the past 10 years.
By keeping the artery open, stents restore normal blood flow to narrowed or blocked arteries. Over time, the artery wall heals around the stent but excess healing tissue can grow and block up the stent again. Promus PREMIER™ Stent System is a drug-eluting stent (DES ) – an ultra-thin and highly flexible metal stent that has been coated with a drug and a polymer, a compound designed to deliver a drug locally to reduce tissue in-growth. This lowers the risk of stent thrombosis and therefore re-blocking of the artery and improves the long term clinical results.
"I am very pleased to be the first to implant the new Promus PREMIER™ stents”, said Prof David Foley, one of Ireland’s leading interventional cardiologists who works at Beaumont Hospital and Mater Private Hospitals, Dublin. “It represents another fine improvement in drug eluting stent design to improve our ability to treat severe coronary artery disease using minimally invasive techniques. I am particularly pleased to see a next-generation stent system with the latest technological advances in medical devices being made in our own country for the benefit of patients all across the World.”
Cardiovascular diseases affect the heart and blood carrying arteries throughout the body and can take many forms, heart attacks, coronary artery disease high blood pressure and stroke. Each year cardiovascular disease causes over 1.9 million deaths in the European Union (EU ) and around 10,000 in Ireland.
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 30 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit us at www.bostonscientific.com
Established in 1994, Boston Scientific employs approximately 2,500 people at its site in Ballybrit Business Park, Galway. It is the largest Boston Scientific facility in Ireland and in the Company. The facility’s R&D and manufacturing operations support three of company’s global divisions; Interventional Cardiology, Peripheral Interventions and Endoscopy. In 2012, the company designated the Galway site as its global Centre of Excellence for Drug Eluting Stent (DES ) products.
The Promus PREMIER Stent System was developed with input from physicians. The customized Platinum Chromium alloy stent architecture provides strength without compromising flexibility. An enhanced low-profile delivery system features a shorter, more visible tip, dual-layer balloon and Bi-Segment™ inner lumen catheter designed to facilitate precise stent delivery across challenging lesions. The Everolimus drug and fluorinated co-polymer stent coating have been studied in multiple randomized clinical trials demonstrating long-term safety and efficacy. The PLATINUM Workhorse Trial compared the PROMUS Element™ Stent (Platinum Chromium Everolimus-Eluting stent ) to the Xience V™ Stent (Cobalt Chromium Everolimus-Eluting stent ), and demonstrated that Platinum Chromium technology has superior clinical outcomes between years one and two.
