New system protects vessels in legs

Terrebonne General Health System and Cardiovascular Institute of the South are the first in the Gulf South and only one of five in the country to use the new FDA-approved Esprit Below the Knee) Everolimus Eluting Resorbable Scaffold System, a first-of-its-kind dissolvable stent to treat chronic limb-threating ischemia.
The first procedure was performed by CIS interventional cardiologist Dr. Pradeep Nair on May 16 in the cath lab at Terrebonne General.
Manufactured by Abbott, the Esprit BTK System is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure and is designed to keep arteries open while delivering the drug Everolimus to facilitate vessel restoration.
Nair was a part of the pivotal research trial that led to the device’s FDA approval. “Patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia are at a constant risk for losing their leg, and a high percentage of them have blockages in the tibial arteries located below the knee,” said Nair. “The concept of ‘leaving nothing behind’ is one that I feel is the future of peripheral intervention. This system combines the benefits of drug elution and vessel scaffolding to keep vessels open longer and has the added benefit of completely resorbing into the vessel within a few years."
This technology is transformative for our patients suffering from chronic limb ischemia.”