Gore-Tex in medical breakthrough
10/09/2007
A surgeon in Ohio has successfully used textile material with a Gore-Tex membrane to treat a patient with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Gore has used the same material that goes into outdoor apparel and footwear to make a surgical stent, a small tube that goes inside a patient's artery to keep blood flowing.
The Gore stent has the blood-thinning medication Heparin anchored to the textile surface, meaning the treatment will interact with the patient's blood for years.
The Gore stent has the blood-thinning medication Heparin anchored to the textile surface, meaning the treatment will interact with the patient's blood for years.
The first patient to have the new textile stent placed in an artery was William Doup of Bellefontaine, Ohio. A keen golfer, Mr Doup was intrigued that the same material in the weatherproof clothing he wears on the golf course was now helping him fight PAD. He said he couldn't wait to get back out and play.
The surgeon in charge of the procedure, Dr Gary Ansel, said afterwards that using the Gore membrane in this way "could change everything we do". He explained that the stent's job was to prevent plaque from building up inside an artery and causing dangerous blockages. Using Gore-Tex to achieve this is faster, less intrusive, less prone to infection and very effective, Dr Ansel said.
He added: "For the foreseeable future, it looks like nothing better is going to replace this Gore stent."
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