Medtronic Begins U.S. Study of Drug-Eluting Stents to Evaluate Treatment of Bifurcation Lesions in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) announced the initiation of a clinical study in the U.S. to assess the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents (DES) for the treatment of bifurcation lesions, which account for approximately 20 percent of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

As quoted in the press release:

Bifurcation lesions occur when plaque builds up around the junction of two coronary arteries – where one branches off another. These lesions are considered challenging to treat because of anatomical variations in the vessels and the difficulty associated with reaching the side branches. Treatment of bifurcation lesions are commonly associated with lower success rates and increased rates of long-term adverse cardiac events.¹

“Patients with bifurcation lesions present a unique challenge for interventional cardiologists. This study will help us evaluate these patients in a controlled setting, which will help expand our knowledge base,” said Matthew J. Price, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., and national principal investigator of the Bifurcation Cohort of the RESOLUTE ONYX Post-Approval Study. “The unique design of Resolute Onyx DES may be well-suited to treat bifurcation lesions in a wide range of vessel sizes.”

Click here to read the full press release.