COLUMBUS, Ohio — There’s new hope for patients with heart stents now that a technology used for about a decade in Europe is approved by the FDA for use here in the U.S.

What You Need To Know

  • The AGENT drug-coated balloon catheter was recently approved by the FDA as a treatment option for patients who develop repeat blockages preventing blood flow through previously placed stents

  • Interventional cardiologists at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital are among the first wave of specialists in the country to offer the procedure

  • Instead of inserting an additional metal stent into the artery, doctors can insert a drug-coated balloon and inflate it inside the artery to transfer the drug directly to the blood vessel wall

According to doctors, there’s a chance for patients with existing metal stents to develop a repeat blockage over time, which prevents blood from flowing through the artery. Often, treatment involves inserting another metal stent, but that’s not an option for some patients.

Interventional cardiologists at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital are among the first wave of specialists in the country to offer the AGENT drug-coated balloon catheter as an alternative to open the blood vessel.

“There always come a point that if you kept forming blockages within stents, we would try to put another stent,” said Dr. Kyle Feldmann, interventional cardiologist for OhioHealth. “But there’s only so much room within blood vessels, so that’s where this technology has really become a key component. And I think It’s going to be our new way to treat any blockage that forms within a stent.”

Feldmann said the balloon is inflated inside the blood vessel to transfer the drug directly into the artery wall. He said it’s an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time and longer-lasting results than traditional stents.

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