The Christ Hospital On Cutting Edge Of New Stent Technology; Implants Investigational New Device

Global Trial Led by Dr. Dean Kereiakes of Lindner Research Center

CINCINNATI, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Clinical scientists at The Christ Hospital's Lindner Research Center are leading a worldwide study evaluating new breakthrough coronary stent technology that may make stenting easier and safer.

The first procedures to implant the novel SYNERGYâ„¢ stent were performed at The Christ Hospital by Drs. Thomas Broderick and Joseph Choo, interventional cardiologists. The Boston Scientific SYNERGY stent combines an ultra-thin metal scaffold with a bioabsorbable polymer which treats the lining of the coronary artery with medication as it dissolves. The design objective of this stent is more rapid and complete arterial healing than is achieved by currently available drug-eluting stents which utilize permanent polymers (at times associated with adverse side effects) to deliver the drug.

One of the first patients is Thomas Beavers, 41, of Georgetown, Ohio, who has diabetes. When Beavers experienced sharp chest pains last week, he went to the local emergency room and was quickly dispatched to The Christ Hospital where their team of cardiologists evaluated his condition. Tests revealed that he had 95 percent blockage within his main artery. He underwent the stent implantation procedure that same day and was released within 24 hours. Beavers, who owns and operates his own business, is glad to be back on the road to health and happiness.

Dean Kereiakes, MD, medical director of The Lindner Research Center and the Heart and Vascular Center at The Christ Hospital, is the global leader and principal investigator for the EVOLVE II trial which is evaluating the SYNERGY stent for U.S. FDA approval. Approximately 160 heart centers in 21 countries are participating in EVOLVE II. Dr. Kereiakes has been at the forefront of clinical research involving stents for more than two decades. "With EVOLVE II, we aim to prove the safety and efficacy of the SYNERGY stent and continue to push stent technology forward. I hope that SYNERGY will allow us to treat more patients more safely," said Dr. Kereiakes.

About The Lindner Research Center: For the past 25 years, The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education (Lindner Research Center) has provided leading-edge medicines and medical technology research covering a broad spectrum of conditions from obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia to new vascular interventional devices, adult stem cell therapies, structural heart disease, cardiovascular surgery, heart failure and electrophysiology. Physicians at the Lindner Research Center have conducted more than 1,200 clinical trials including multiple first-in-man and first-in-the-U.S procedures, which have contributed to best practice standards for the care of patients. For information on current trials, please call 513-585-1777.

About The Christ Hospital Health Network: The Christ Hospital Health Network is a regional system of care that extends The Christ Hospital's nearly 125 years of superior care and leadership to more than 100 locations in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Network delivers integrated, individualized healthcare and wellness services through its comprehensive physician network, advanced specialty services and the region's leading hospital. Its mission is to provide the finest patient experience and improve the health of the community. To learn more about its locations and award-winning services, visit TheChristHospital.com.

SOURCE The Christ Hospital