The Heart Institute First in the Tristate to Implant Newly Approved Stent

Interventional cardiologist Kevin Cochran, MD of Mercy Health – The Heart Institute was the first doctor in the tristate to implant the first FDA-approved dedicated bifurcated coronary stent in a patient. The FDA approved the stent in March 2017 and Dr. Cochran performed the first implant in the region at Fairfield Hospital on April 20, 2017. He’s subsequently implanted the stent in another patient.

Coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. in both men and women, often results in the buildup of plaque at a site where one artery branches from another, also known as a bifurcation.

Approximately 20-30% of all patients undergoing procedures to open blocked arteries have what is called a bifurcation lesion in a side branch. Stenting of the main artery and angioplasty of the side branch is the current standard of care. However, this is associated with a higher risk of a blockage in the side branch that will require stenting to open a re-narrowed vessel later.

The Tryton Side Branch Stent is a cobalt chromium stent that simplifies treatment of bifurcation lesions and allows treatment of the main artery and affected side branch in one procedure.

“Its design, which resembles scaffolding, props open the side branch and allows for the placement of a conventional drug eluting stent in the main vessel. This allows us to treat the entire bifurcation in a way that provides more predictable patient outcomes,” says Dr. Cochran. “There are other benefits for patients, as well. Implanting a coronary artery stent is a less invasive procedure than bypass surgery and stenting involves a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery than surgery.”

Cardiologists have treated more than 12,000 patients around the world with the Tryton Side Branch Stent and over 100 research sites in more than 15 countries have evaluated the technology. The pivotal Tryton Randomized Clinical Trial, the largest coronary bifurcation study ever conducted, showed reductions in target vessel failure and side branch narrowing with the Tryton Side Branch Stent when compared to conventional provisional treatment with balloon angioplasty in the side branch.

Dr. Cochran practices from Mercy Health – The Heart Institute, Fairfield, located at 3000 Mack Road, Suite 100, Fairfield, OH 45014. Call 513-751-4222 to make an appointment or for more information.