The Nebraska Medical Center is the first hospital in the nation to implant a specialized device in two patients with severe heart blockages. Synergy Megatron is a stronger and more expandable stent designed to keep large heart arteries open. The surgeries took place Thursday.
Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis is the center’s chief of interventional cardiology, and said traditional stents have always been designed as one size fits all.
"Now we talk about a different concept and that's a huge innovation here that the [Boston Scientific] company brings to the table," he said. "We talk about a stent that is specially designed for a particular part of the heart arteries, large proximal arteries, which are a different animal."
Dr. Chatzizisis said proximal arteries are closer to the heart's biggest vessels, which need more robust capabilities to pump blood.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the stent last month. Other medical centers will start using the Megatron next week.