The Baptist Heart Institute at Central Baptist Hospital is among the first in the nation to offer a drug-eluting stent for the treatment of blocked coronary arteries.

The new CYPHERä Sirolimus-eluting Stent was the first drug-eluting stent to receive marketing approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The CYPHER Stent, which is approved for the treatment of previously untreated coronary artery lesions, was developed to address the problem of in-stent restenosis, or reblockage, which occurs in as many as 15 to 30 percent of patients who receive a bare metal stent.

The stent is coated with the drug sirolimus, which is slowly released into the intima, or vessel lining, to prevent scar tissue growth through the openings in the stent mesh, which frequently leads to restenosis.

"The CYPHER Stent provides new hope for patients with challenging case histories," said Kenneth E. Marshall, M.D., vice president, physician and cardiac services, at Central Baptist Hospital. "We are pleased to provide this advanced stent therapy in our community and be one of the first hospitals in the United States to offer this effective treatment to patients."

Results of large-scale studies involving nearly 1,400 patients worldwide show that the CYPHER Stent, manufactured by Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, reduces the incidence of restenosis by more than 90 percent over a bare metal stent.

"The Baptist Heart Institute is committed to bringing patients innovative new technologies that have a positive effect on end results," Marshall said.