Morton Plant Hospital First in Tampa Bay to Use New Treatment for Restenosis

CLEARWATER, Fla., June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Morton Plant Hospital recently became the first hospital in the Tampa Bay area to use a drug-coated balloon to treat in-stent restenosis. The hospital was ranked #1 in Florida for Cardiac Surgery in 2023 by Healthgrades, where the area's first robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass surgery took place in early June. 

BayCare Medical Group's Interventional Cardiologist Lang Lin, MD, and her expert team of medical professionals at Morton Plant Hospital performed the first procedure with the drug-coated balloon earlier this month. 

Restenosis occurs when an artery that has previously been stented narrows again because of plaque or scar tissue. 

Treating in-stent restenosis remains a significant challenge for both patients and cardiologists, even 20 years after drug-eluting stents (which are coated with medicine to keep arteries open) became the standard of care." Dr. Lin said. 

Until now, in-stent restenosis has most commonly been treated in one of two ways: by placing an additional stent in the stent of the artery that has narrowed again or by performing coronary artery bypass surgery. The challenge with two or more layers of stents is that additional stents become less effective and more difficult to treat. Coronary artery bypass surgery has increased risks with older patients and sometimes limited bypass target vessels. 

The new drug-coated balloon, AGENT™ from Boston Scientific, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial use in March. The balloon catheter, the first drug-coated coronary balloon in the United States, reopens the narrowed stent and releases the high concentration of drugs to prevent scar tissue from forming and blocking the artery wall again. 

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to offer this cutting-edge treatment to our patients," Dr. Lin said. "The new technology will help us to treat certain patients with in-stent restenosis without the need for another stent, invasive surgery or brachytherapy (radiation)." 

For more information on heart and vascular services at BayCare: BayCare's Heart and Vascular Services. 

About Morton Plant Hospital
Since 1916, Morton Plant Hospital has been committed to improving the health of all it serves through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. The 599-bed hospital is proud to offer nationally recognized care delivered in more than 50 specialty areas. Part of BayCare Health System, Morton Plant Hospital offers innovative, accessible and quality services to provide our community with a lifetime of compassionate, convenient care. The hospital is located at 300 Pinellas Street in Clearwater, Florida. For more information, visit BayCare.org/MPH.

About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information visit BayCare.org.

SOURCE BayCare Health System