For decades, drug-eluting stents (DES) have been used on heart patients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD). When the arteries to the heart become narrowed or blocked with plaque, DES have been the gold standard preferred by cardiologists.

While DES do an efficient job but they are rigid and constrain the arteries which have been associated with 2 to 3 per cent of major adverse cardiac events, a new class of treatment for CAD was revealed at a virtual media conference hosted by three doctors.

Introducing Elixir Medical’s DynamX Bioadaptor that is designed to move more naturally with the artery wall in response to the needs for more oxygen demanded by the heart. It also allows the artery to expand to accommodate new plaque build-up, maintaining the diameter of the treated area for good blood flow over time.

Dr Antonio Colombo, Professor of Cardiology at Humanitas Medical School in Milan, who conducted a 24-month clinical study involving 50 patients, disclosed that the bioadaptor had excellent safety profile, no target vessel revascularization and no device thrombosis (blood clotting)

Prof. Lim Soo Teik, Deputy Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology at the National Heart Centre (NHC) of Singapore, also elaborated on a live operation he performed at the Singapore LIVE Conference 2021 (an annual conference for cardiologists and interventionists).

The 37-year old patient had no history of heart problems, although he had diabetes. Two bioadaptors were implanted. The operation was a success and the patient had since been discharged.

Prof. Jack Tan, Deputy Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHC and Head of Cardiology at Seng Kang General Hospital, said: “The promise of the bioadaptor is in addressing the 2%-3% adverse event rate that occurs with DES every year.  This may improve long-term patient outcomes.”

To date, more than a dozen bioadaptors have been administered to patients at NHC. DynamX bioadaptor has received the CE mark and is approved by the Health Science Authority. Currently, it is available in NHC and Tan Tock Seng Hospital and it will be gradually rolled out to other public and private hospitals according to Elixir Medical.