Riverside First to Offer New Treatment for Peripheral Arteri...( GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with He...),Health

GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin Bioactive Surface Offers Safe,

Effective Alternative to Surgery

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary Ansel, MD, of Riverside Methodist Hospital became the world's first physician on Wednesday, Aug. 29, to treat a common form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with a new device that improves outcomes, speeds recovery and may minimize the risk of complications.

Ansel successfully implanted the GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin Bioactive Surface, a stent graft designed to open blockages in the superficial femoral artery in the thigh, into William Doup, 69, of Bellefontaine, Ohio.

"This is a whole different approach to the problem," said Ansel, an interventional cardiologist at the McConnell Heart Hospital at Riverside. "It may change everything we do."

Eight to 12 million Americans ages 50 and older have PAD, characterized by clogged arterial walls in the legs. These blockages are the same as those found in the heart and neck and can result in death from stroke and heart attack.

A blockage from plaque build-up in the thigh's large superficial femoral artery "is one of the most common types of PAD," Ansel said. "It affects up to 10 percent of the population over the age of 70."

Stents are small, metal coil or mesh tubes commonly inserted into arteries to reduce vessel narrowing and improve circulation.

The device is made by W.L. Gore & Associates in Flagstaff, Arizona, a company known for its consumer product Gore-Tex. "It's the same material that's in my rain suit for golf," said Doup, the pioneering patient.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use in August to relieve hardening of the thigh artery.

The cloth combines mechanical and a pharmacologic approach to opening leg blockage. The Gore-Tex fabric stops tissue from growing inside the tube and has the blood thinning medication Heparin as part of the device linin
'/>"/>