Absorbable Stent Will Help Coronary Artery Disease Patients

New treatment for people who are undergoing angioplasty.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first fully absorbable stent to treat coronary artery disease.

The stent, called Absorb, limits the growth of scar tissue, and is absorbed by the body in approximately three years.

The FDA says coronary heart disease is responsible for about 370,000 deaths each year in the U.S.

Doctors often treat coronary artery disease with angioplasty to widen the artery using a metal stent.

However there’s been some thought that scar tissue can form within the stent causing problems in the future.