(7 Jul 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus058753
AT 73, DOUG TAYLOR LOVES TO RUN AND HAS COMPETED IN MULTIPLE MARATHONS.
BUT THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN TOUGH.
SOUNDBITE (English) Doug Taylor, heart patient:
"I've had some chest pain off and on for four years now and it was always brought on by exercise and so it interfered. It interfered in my life."
AFTER HAVING A TRADITIONAL METAL STENT PUT IN A PARTIALLY BLOCKED ARTERY LAST MONTH, TAYLOR IS NOW THE FIRST IN THE U.S. TO HAVE A DISSOLVABLE STENT INSERTED. THE FDA APPROVED THE DEVICE JUST THIS WEEK.
SOUNDBITE (English) Doug Taylor, heart patient:
"I like the idea that there's not a piece of metal sitting in my artery that will be there forever."
STENTS ARE IMPLANTED IN ABOUT 850,000 U.S. PATIENTS ANNUALLY FOR THOSE WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE.
BUT DOCTORS HAVE SCALED BACK THEIR USE IN RECENT YEARS DUE TO COST AND SAFETY CONCERNS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. David Rizik, cardiologist, HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center:
"Once the coronary artery is permanently caged, the vessel will never have the opportunity to grow."
WHILE THE ABBOTT LABORATORIES NEWLY-APPROVED STENT IS GROUNDBREAKING, DISOLVING INSIDE THE BODY IN ABOUT THREE YEARS, IT COMES WITH A CAVEAT.
IT HASN'T YET BEEN SHOWN TO BE ANY SAFER THAN OLDER METAL IMPLANTS.
EXPERTS SAY IT MAY TAKES YEARS TO DETERMINE IF THE TECHNOLOGY IS SUPERIOR BUT THEY NOTE IT'S AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD FINDING A BETTER WAY TO TREAT THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE U.S.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. David Rizik, cardiologist, HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center:
"This is really a revolution in medicine. We're going to be thinking about this many years down the road much like we thought about the first bypass surgery."
JUST DAYS BEFORE THE PROCEDURE, TAYLOR WASN'T TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE NEWNESS OF THE DEVICE.
SOUNDBITE (English) Doug Taylor, heart patient:
"Other than being anxious about somebody messing around inside me next to my heart, no, I'm not really concerned."
TAYLOR SAYS HE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK ON HIS FEET…
… THE NEW DEVICE GIVING HIM HOPE FOR MANY MORE MARATHONS …
BRIAN SKOLOFF, ASSOCIATED PRESS, PHOENIX
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