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Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Becomes First In Florida To Offer Dissolving Heart Stent

The device, developed and manufactured by Abbott Labs, is the first fully dissolving heart stent approved by the FDA.
Abbot Labs
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The device, developed and manufactured by Abbott Labs, is the first fully dissolving heart stent approved by the FDA.
Credit Abbot Labs / Heart Stent
/
The Florida Channel
The device, developed and manufactured by Abbott Labs, is the first fully dissolving heart stent approved by the FDA.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is the first in the nation to offer a dissolving heart stent. A new technology hospital officials say could reduce long term complications. A stint is a tiny wire is inserted into a clogged artery. It inflates, —smacking the blockage against the walls of the artery and letting blood through. But once the blockage dissolves, that little piece of wire remains, and it could cause inflammation or hinder future heart surgeries, such as bypasses. The dissolving heart stint goes away completely after two or three years, and could reduce the risk of future blockages.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital was a center for testing of the dissolving heart stint—and the device was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration just last week.

TMH is one of just 11 facilities in the U.S. to offer the new device to patients.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas. She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. When she’s not working, Lynn spends her time watching sci-fi and action movies, writing her own books, going on long walks through the woods, traveling and exploring antique stores. Follow Lynn Hatter on Twitter: @HatterLynn.