Dubai at the heart of breakthrough medicine

posted on 31/01/2012: 49 views

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA), for the first time in the Mena region, has introduced the "Fourth Revolution” in cardiology treatment with an innovative procedure to heal blockage of coronary arteries in the heart, said Khalid Al Sheikh Mubarak, deputy director-general of the DHA.

"The new therapy titled ‘Absorb' involves the insertion of a bioresorbable scaffold into an affected coronary artery to keep it open and thereby promote the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart,” he added.

The treatment was undertaken for the first time at Dubai Hospital and Rashid Hospital last week.

Dr Talib K Majwal, consultant and director of Interventional Cardiology at Dubai Heart Centre of Dubai Hospital, performed the region's first ever insertion of the Abbott Absorb scaffold device on a patient at Dubai Hospital.

Dr Fahad Baslaib, consultant interventional cardiologist and director of Rashid Hospital's Cardiology Department, said the procedure took about 20 minutes, with the patient remaining conscious throughout.

"The procedure is similar to the existing technique that places a ‘stent' into a diseased artery, but with one crucial difference. When the scaffold begins to dissolve, the vessel is no longer restricted and may ultimately have the ability to move, flex and pulsate similar to an untreated vessel,” he added.

"Whereas the stent is a permanent fixture that remains in the blood vessel, making the vessel similar to a cage, the scaffold progressively dissolves over a period of two years, leaving the artery widened but with no trace of the device left,” elaborated Dr Baslaib.

Dr Majwal pointed out, "In terms of insertion technique, the Absorb scaffold procedure is much the same as placing a stent in an affected artery, so there was no need to learn a major new set of skills for this new treatment paradigm.”

"Although the insertion technique is the same, the huge advantage that this scaffold has over a stent is that over a period of two years it dissolves into harmless gas and water, leaving the coronary artery free of any foreign object,” he added.

According to him, this allows the artery to flex and pulsate, which is better for blood flow than having a restrictive permanent stent that turns the vessel into an inflexible cage and inhibits artery movement.

Mubarak noted that the Absorb procedure is the beginning of a new chapter in the treatment of heart disease in the region. It will revolutionise the treatment of coronary artery disease over the coming years.

The breakthrough medicine will position Dubai at a significant place in the global medical tourism map and the forefront of the latest advances in healthcare. The DHA is now playing a leading role in new forms of treatment for this condition, which is currently the number one cause of death in the country.

"The term ‘Fourth Revolution' that has been applied to the Absorb scaffold procedure follows its recognition as a groundbreaking form of treatment for coronary artery disease,” Dr Baslaib explained.

"It is the latest development that has seen a linear progression from the ‘First Revolution,' which was coronary angioplasty using a balloon to widen the affected artery, the ‘Second Revolution,' which was the use of a permanent metal stent to unblock an artery and the ‘Third Revolution,' which incorporated drugs built into a stent to be gradually released over time,” he said.

According to him, the Absorb bioresorbable scaffold offers numerous benefits over metal stents, so it can be considered as a whole new treatment paradigm in its own right.

"The Absorb procedure is particularly beneficial for younger patients, as there is the option for further forms of treatment in the future - something that the insertion of a metal stent precludes.”

"This is especially significant for the UAE, as the average age that people start to experience heart problems here is 45 years of age, which is 10 to 15 years younger than in Europe,” he concluded. – The Gulf Today

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