Interventional cardiologists at Community Memorial Hospital are the first in Ventura County to treat patients with breakthrough drug-eluting stents approved in October 2015 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).

A cardiac stent restores blood flow in diseased blood vessels. Unlike traditional drug-eluting stents, Boston Scientific’s latest Synergy stent utilizes a bio-absorbable polymer on the surface of the stent that breaks down and is cleared by the body after the drug it contains is released, leaving behind a bare platinum-chromium stent.

Existing drug-eluting stents reduce coronary restenosis, but the polymer remaining on traditional stents can cause long-term inflammation and impaired healing that has been linked to complications including stent thrombosis. As a result of the new polymer, the evidence indicates that the Synergy stent will promote healing and reduce the risk of long-term complications. “The Synergy stent represents the latest advance in stent technology, bringing important improvements in performance, patient safety and long-term outcomes,” states Dr. Thomas Kong, Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at CMHS.

The approval by the USFDA of the Synergy stent was based on data from the EVOLVE II clinical trial presented at the American Heart Association’s 2014 Scientific Sessions. The EVOLVE II investigators compared the Synergy stent’s bio-absorbable polymer against a durable-polymer everolimus-releasing stent in 1,684 patients and reported no definite stent thrombosis events with the Synergy stent after 24 hours. Four years of data from the EVOLVE I trial also demonstrated a very low repeat vascularization rate of 1.1 percent with the Synergy stent and a continued 0 percent stent thrombosis rate.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, as well as the Centers for Family Health serving various Ventura County communities.