CRMC-West 214 E. 23 St. Cheyenne, WY 82001
CRMC-East 2600 E. 18 St. Cheyenne, WY 82001
Health & Fitness 1620 E. Pershing, Cheyenne, WY 82001

(307) 634-CARE

Drug-coated Stent reduces the need for follow-up procedures by 95%.

Tim Gardner, M.D., Cheyenne cardiologist, performed the 15 minute procedure of the recently FDA approved drug-eluting stent on a 70-year-old woman. In most cases the patient is released within 24 hours. The tiny metal stent is inserted into the blocked artery where it is deployed. The stent works like a scaffold to keep the blocked artery open, while simultaneously releasing the drug Sirolimus into into the vessel wall to prevent Restenosis (re-blockage).

The procedure was performed in the cardiac catheterization lab located on the 6th floor of CRMC-West. The drug-eluting stent, or "DES," was developed to address the problem of in-stent blockage which occurs in as many as 15 to 30 percent of patients who receive a bare metal stent. The drug imbedded in the stent is slowly released into the lining of the artery, preventing the growth of scar tissue around the stent, the primary cause of re-blockage.

While stents have been in use for almost 10 years, this advancement eliminates the chances of multiple surgeries to reopen the artery due to scarring.

Large-scale medical studies involving nearly 1400 patients worldwide have shown that the new sirolimus-eluting stent reduces the incidents of re-blockage by nearly 90 percent when compared to bare metal stents.

The drug-eluting stent, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, represents a turning point in the treatment of coronary artery disease, potentially reducing the need for cardiac bypass surgery or multiple, less-invasive treatments. The stent is coated with a time-released drug Sirolimus which reduces the chance of scarring by up to 95%. While stents have been in use for almost 10 years, this advancement eliminates the chances of multiple surgeries to reopen the artery due to scarring.

Research using the new stent has demonstrated that patients have a greater than 95 percent chance of avoiding a repeat procedure for the same vessel area-patients treated with conventional stents are four times more likely to need a repeat treatment within the first year than those treated with the Sirolimus-eluting stent.

"Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is committed to providing our patients with innovative, new technologies like the Sirolimus-eluting stent that improve the quality of care we can offer our patients," says Heather Baggett, RN, director of cardiac services. "We are excited about being the first hospital in Wyoming to perform this important, new advance in treatment of cardiac patients."

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