Abbott studies ‘confirm safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting’

Abbott has announced the results of two studies, confirming the safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting in the reduction of the risk of stroke in patients that are not favourable candidates for surgery.

The results of the emboshield and xact post approval carotid stent trial (Exact) and the carotid Acculinka/Accunet post approval trial to uncover rare events (Capture 2) were presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session held in New Orleans.

In the Exact study the primary endpoint of heart attack, stroke and death at 30 days was 4.6 per cent, while in Capture 2 it was 5.2 per cent.

William A Gray of Columbia University Medical Centre, said: “The results from these two studies reaffirm that carotid stenting is a safe, effective, minimally invasive treatment option for patients with carotid artery disease who may be at risk of experiencing adverse events from surgery.”

Dr Gray added that the results implied that as the practice of carotid stenting increases over time by physicians, patient outcomes have been improving accordingly.

Last week, Abbott announced positive test results from the first clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a fully bioabsorbable drug-eluting stent for the treatment of coronary artery disease.