The Particulars: Covered stents have been studied for use in embolic protection, but their tightly women material tended to squeeze friable material out like toothpaste rather than trap it. The investigational MGuard stent uses a loosely interlaced mesh and may trap material that may otherwise plug up small vessels downstream.
Data Breakdown: German research found that 58% of patients with acute who received the MGuard stent as part of emergent PCI achieved complete resolution of the ST-segment of a myocardial infarction (MI), indicating ischemia, within 60 to 90 minutes. The rate for those who received standard stents was 45%. A significantly higher proportion of patients who received MGuard had restoration of full perfusion to the heart when compared with those who received standard stents.
Take Home Pearl: Among patients with acute ST segment elevation MI undergoing emergent PCI, the MGuard stent appears to achieve superior rates of epicardial coronary flow and complete ST-segment resolution when compared with standard stents.
