A new device that may one day be used to help people suffering from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is being tested in clinical trials at Baptist Medical Center downtown. Stents are used to hold open clogged arteries. Drug-eluting stents have significantly decreased the complication rate of coronary artery disease treatment, and now stents with a drug coating are being tested in patients with clogged arteries in their legs.

The new stent, called the Zilver PTX, is made of a flexible nickel titanium alloy that is coated with a drug that will be released over time to help prevent the artery from getting clogged again through scarring. Peripheral Vascular Disease is common in people with diabetes, people who smoke and older people. If the new stent works, it may help prevent the need for amputations in many cases. The nationwide study will include 480 patients in 30 sites around the country and if results are good, the new stent could be on the market in three to four years.