Abbott’s new stent could help patients with peripheral artery disease

an Abbott device that failed cardiovascular disease patients is getting new life in patients with serious vascular diseases.

The device is an under-the-knee stent that widens clogged blood vessels and then disappears into the artery walls over the course of three years. It also provides a drug that prevents the formation of scar tissue – a common risk factor with traditional metal stents that further narrow the vessel.

Received Abbott’s first dissolvable stent, for coronary artery disease Approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2016. But the company has voluntarily withdrawn the product from the market just over a year later due to ‘low commercial acceptance’. The device too got mixed results in clinical trials.