(Omaha, NE) -- Nebraska Medicine is the first hospital in the nation to implant a new type of cardiac stent.
On Thursday, Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis, chief interventional cardiology, Dr. Gregory Pavlides and Dr. Edward O’Leary implanted the Synergy Megatron stent for the first time ever in the United States. The Megatron stent is designed to fit larger vessels and allow more flexibility. Nebraska Med says in separate successful procedures, two women in their early 60's became the first patients in the nation to receive Megatron, a stent created by Boston Scientific.
“The Megatron coronary stent is a paradigm shift in interventional cardiology as it introduces for the first time the concept of using stents specifically designed for specific parts of heart arteries. This is truly a 21st century precision medicine approach,” says Dr. Chatzizisis. “Megatron’s unique design makes the stent stronger and more expandable, and thereby ideal for large and stiff heart arteries. That’s a real game changer for interventional cardiologists and their patients.”
Dr. Chatzizisis says, “Megatron illustrates the ability of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine Heart and Vascular Center to bring state-of-the-art and innovative technologies to our patients through cutting-edge translational and clinical research.”
The FDA approved Megatron last month. Other medical centers will begin using the specialized stent the week of February 15.
(Photo by Nebraska Medicine)