According to two eminent Italian cardiologists, special drug-coated balloons (DCB) are becoming a more effective alternative to stents in a variety of coronary artery illnesses, especially at a time when coronary diseases are on the rise in India and throughout the world. This is particularly true if the patients are young, have several blocks, and have medical issues that could render angioplasty to implant drug-eluting stents ineffective.

Prof. Antonio Colombo, Director of the Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, and Dr. Bernardo Cortese, Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab and Interventional Cardiology, are in India for a series of workshops and educational sessions on the drug-coated balloon technique for percutaneous coronary intervention.

The two Italian experts spoke at an educational session on ″DCB in PCI: Current Concept and Future″ that was held in Chennai and sponsored by Concept Medical and the C3 Research Foundation. They went into great detail about drug-coated balloons, a relatively new idea for treating coronary artery diseases.

In his presentation, Dr. Cortese included several international studies and explained the results of the largest drug-coated balloon registry. He stated that instead of inserting a stent at the site of the disease, the drug is released through the mechanism that holds the arteries together and ensures blood flow. He added that these balloons can be used for up to 70% of procedures in expert hands.

Dr. Manish Doshi, MD, of Concept Medical stated that the new method involves a drug and carrier complex that is meant to penetrate the inner layers of the vessel walls and operate as a reservoir for the long-term release of medicine that prevents re-narrowing of the coronary artery. 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/medical-devices/drug-coated-balloons-emerging-as-better-alternative-to-stents-italian-cardiologists/98774695 )