Berwick Hospital First in Columbia County to Offer New Technology
3/12/2019
BERWICK (MARCH, 2019) Berwick Hospital Center recently became one of the first hospitals in Columbia County to offer the Eluvia Drug-Eluting Stent, a stent designed to restore blood flow in the peripheral arteries above the knee, including the superficial femoral artery and proximal popliteal artery.
Dr. John Guerriero, D.O., implanted the first Eluvia Drug-Eluting Stent, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), at Berwick Hospital. The Eluvia Stent features a unique drug-polymer combination intended to facilitate sustained release of the drug (paclitaxel) that can prevent narrowing (restenosis) of the vessel, often the cause of pain and disability for patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease (PAD).
PAD affects approximately 8.5 million Americans over the age of 40 – the most common symptom is muscle cramping in the hips, thighs or calves while walking, climbing stairs or exercising. The prevalence of the disease increases with age for both men and women, and if an individual’s PAD is caused by a buildup of plaques in blood vessels, they may be at risk of developing critical limb ischemia, stroke or heart attack, so proper treatment can play a vital role in managing the disease.
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