OhioHealth is pioneering the treatment of peripheral artery
disease -- a condition that affects one in 20 adults over age 50. We
are the first in the nation to use a
drug-coated stent outside the heart.
Stents are tiny wire mesh tubes used to keep arteries open
following angioplasty. Drug-coated stents, also known as
drug-eluting stents, slowly release medication to prevent scar
tissue from forming in the arteries. We are the first in the nation
to use drug-eluting stents to treat blockages in leg arteries.
We are treating patients with the FDA-approved Zilver PTX stent
after leading a national clinical trial that yielded outstanding
results. In the clinical trial, eight in ten patients treated with
the new stent still had open arteries after one year, compared to
three in ten treated with angioplasty alone. In addition, patients
who received a bare metal stent required more than twice as many
repeat procedures to reopen the artery as patients who received the
new stent. It's a revolution in peripheral vascular care, and it's
available only at OhioHealth now.
With the development of the new Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent, treatment of
PAD in the United States is expected to undergo a revolution akin
to the use of drug elution in treating coronary artery disease.
Some signs of PAD include:
- Pain, numbness, aching, or heaviness in the leg muscles when
walking or climbing stairs
- Cramping in the affected leg(s) and in the buttocks, thighs,
calves and feet when walking or climbing stairs
- Weak or absent pulses in the legs or feet