Institut Jantung Negara (IJN; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) has become the first hospital in Asia to perform peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) using VascuFlex Multi-LOC (B Braun), a multiple stent delivery system designed for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
The procedure was performed by Shaiful Azmi bin Yahaya, deputy head of Cardiology Department at Institut Jantung Negara, Kumara Guruppan s/o Ganesan, consultant cardiologist at Institut Jantung Negara and Ralf Langhoff, head of Angiology and Vascular Medicine, Sankt-Gertrauden Hospital, Berlin, Germany.
VascuFlex Multi-LOC is a multiple stent delivery system that allows the doctor to deliver up to six short stents using a single device during PVI.
With a single system, the system enables spot stenting (placing short individual stents) only where they are necessary and helps the vessel to maintain its natural movement, especially in the moving segments of femoropopliteal region. Spot stenting procedures are capable of avoiding the complications of a “full metal jacket” concept (where the entire affected site is fully covered by a metal stent) in the vessel, which can cause stent fracture and thereby reduce the treatment’s efficacy. The multi stent delivery system could shorten procedure time and hence minimise infection risk for patients.
Data from the LOCOMOTIVE All Comers Registry on VascuFlex Multi-LOC system found it to be safe and highly effective in the treatment of PAD patients with complex and long lesions in the femoropopliteal vessel. Clinical results showed that after six months, an overall 90% of patients with challenging conditions did not require additional intervention measures and that 100% of the individual stents was successfully released. Spot stenting via the delivery system reduced the amount of metal implantation by 50% when compared to the full-metal jacket strategy.
Chief Executive Officer of IJN, Mohd Azhari Yakub, said, “We are pleased to be collaborating with B Braun Medical Supplies to perform this first Vascuflex Multi-LOC procedure. This landmark procedure strengthens IJN’s commitment to provide both the best cardiac and vascular solutions for cardiovascular patients and lead the way in availing innovative treatments and quality care.”
PVI is the preferred first-line treatment technique for PAD, particularly for patients with femoropopliteal lesions. A non-invasive technique, PVI functions to remove and restore blood flow to the affected artery without the need for surgery.
And how much would this cost a patient as opposed to conventional system