Indian cardiologists came together to introduce the device DIOR, the first and only CE-marked Drug (paclitaxel) Eluting Coronary Balloon Dilatation Catheter used in Coronary Angioplasties.

"Dior the first CE-marked Drug (Paclitaxel) Eluting Coronary Balloon Dilatation Catheter used in Coronary Angioplasties will now soon be available to Indian patients who will have a less risky, cost-effective and minimally invasive treatment option for some worst-case scenarios arising out of clogged coronary arteries," says Dr Shirish Hiremath, of Ruby Hospital Clinic at the launch of the DIOR system.

Dior is introduced into the blocked artery through a guidewire. Once inside, it dilates the artery to clear the plaque formation around the block. It then releases the drug after which it is withdrawn from the body. One of the main advantages of using DIOR is that it does not necessitate the permanent placement of a foreign object within the patient's body as it is in the case for many patients, as it is done when a Bare Metal Stent (BMS) or with a Drug Eluting Stent (DES), he added.

One of the main advantages of the system is that unlike a DES that elutes a drug over a period of 90 days, DIOR releases paclitaxel in 30 seconds (which acts with decreasing efficacy over a period of five days), thereby significantly reducing the need for long-term antiplatelet drug therapy. This also makes DIOR a convenient treatment for high-risk and non-compliant patients

The system is the least minimally invasive therapeutic approach to deal with stent-associated adverse issues like in-stent restenosis (re-clogging of a coronary artery after the placement of a bare metal stent; 22-25% of all such cases) and late-stent thrombosis (blood clotting occurring out of the presence of a polymer and the delayed healing of the arterial wall after the placement of a drug-eluting stent; 10-15% of all such cases). Moreover it optimises long-term BMS results by delivering a drug to counter the re-formation of plaque within the treated artery.

Hiremath of Ruby Hall Clinic, adds, "DIOR will become an indispensable device for every Cathlab performing coronary angioplasties today. It has revolutionized the angioplasty landscape by giving birth to a whole new family of alternative interventional treatments. It is a boon to patients who may not be able to afford expensive anti-platelet drugs in case of a traditional stenting procedure."