Absorb™ Dissolving Heart Stent
The Sansum Clinic cardiology team was first on the central coast to enroll patients in clinical trials for Absorb™ dissolving heart stent. Our specialists helped to make Santa Barbara one of the first locations in the nation to have the stent after FDA approval.
Recently approved by the FDA, the Absorb dissolving heart stent is considered one of the most important advances in the treatment of coronary artery disease in a decade. While most stents are made of metal and are permanent implants, the Absorb is crafted from a material similar to dissolving sutures. The Absorb device disappears in about three years, after it has achieved its goal of keeping a clogged artery open and promoting healing of the treated artery segment.
It is inserted via a catheter, and once inside the heart, it props open the clogged artery, which can then heal and resume normal function. The Absorb stent dissolves except for two pairs of tiny metallic markers, which help guide placement and remain in the artery to enable our physicians to see where the device was placed.