![]() ![]() Modern imaging technology cannot provide a complete view of the drug patterns and patient variability made it impossible to track the large number of variables at play. Yet, the researchers could not examine the issues of drug distribution variability from these studies alone. Human trials and animal experiments provide valuable data related to the biologic response to stents and drugs. Observing that the chance of blood clots rises along with the amount of drug delivered, Edelman and Kolachalama realized they needed an effective method for identifying and predicting drug delivery patterns from stents in complex arterial vessels. ![]() Yet, even though the drug-eluting stents prevented tissue and plaque blockage, they created new and different issues for a small percentage of patients, resulting in life-threatening side effects such as blood clots and heart attacks. ![]() Called “drug-eluting stents,” these implants have reduced the need for repeat procedures to less than 10%. To prevent the re-blocking, scientists started coating the stents with drugs, often imbedded in a thin polymer material for time release. ![]() In 25-50% of cases, this reaction is so severe that flow through the artery is once again insufficient and another procedure is required. Stents prevent this recoil but tissue grows over the stent as part of a healing response. Until recently, physicians would then install a small metal-mesh tube, or stent, to keep the plaque from snapping back into the artery. To reopen a blocked artery, physicians inflate a balloon at the end of a catheter inserted into the patient’s artery to compact atherosclerotic plaque against the artery walls. Their work could lead to the ability to design individual stents for patients. Edelman, “we can help clinicians determine when to be more vigilant with patients about medications or additional procedures.” The results could help medical device companies develop safer, more effective stents and aid the in the regulatory approval process. “If we can accurately predict problems,” says Dr. They also hope to use the technology to predict whether specific arteries with stent implants are at risk of blood clots. Together, these researchers are helping to revolutionize the world of heart therapy using CFD modeling, bench-top experiments, animal modeling, and visualization.Įdelman and Kolachalama are using CFD to study how stents and drugs delivered from stents can treat arteries and simultaneously cause blood clots. Kolachalama, postdoctoral associate at the Edelman Laboratory at MIT, are working to improve stents. Edelman, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Research in this area is complicated by the complexities of the human arterial system because there are too many variables and too much data to sift through.ĭr. While stents save lives, side effects such as blood clots and heart attacks remain fairly common. In fact, every year more than one million patients with heart disease in the US receive stent implants. Once considered risky, stent procedures today are viewed as safe and routine. Pioneering simulation methods help researchers develop better devices. ![]()
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