Bioabsorbable stents might be on their way....

This news from the ACC from theheart.org:

Bioabsorbable magnesium-alloy stent safe to implant
March 13, 2006
Michael O'Riordan
Atlanta, GA - An interventional strategy that aims to eventually do away with the stent altogether has shown promising, albeit very early, results. Presenting data on a new bioabsorbable magnesium-alloy stent, investigators showed that the bare-metal stent met its primary end point, with a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate of 23.8% at four months.

Speaking with heartwire, lead investigator Dr Raimund Erbel (University Clinic, Essen, Germany) said that after four months, despite the complete disappearance of the stent, "the vessel lumen is nicely opened and we have not seen elastic recoil as a problem."
The results of the study, known as the Clinical Performance and Angiographic Results of the Coronary Stenting and Absorbable Metal Stents trial, known as PROGRESS-AMS, were presented during an i2 Summit late-breaking clinical-trials session here at the American College of Cardiology 2006 Scientific Sessions. The PROGRESS study was a prospective, multicenter, consecutive, nonrandomized trial evaluating the clinical feasibility of the stent, made by Biotronik in Berlin, Germany, in the treatment of a single de novo lesion in a native coronary artery.

Cool stuff. Now stents might not interfere with CT scans and MRI's.... just need to have a little drug ellution added to prevent restenosis...

--Wes