Dr. Julio Palmaz, Inventor of Stent Widely Used in Coronary and Peripheral Disease,
Inducted Into
National Inventors Hall of Fame
AKRON, Ohio, May 8 -- Dr. Julio Palmaz of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame on Saturday. Dr. Palmaz was recognized for the invention of the balloon-expandable stent. Stents are tiny tubular metal cages, which are placed in the body to open arteries that have been narrowed by coronary or peripheral artery disease. Balloon-expandable stents have been proven to reduce blockages in arteries, and to hold open blocked or collapsed arteries in the heart and other major organs.
Since the commercial introduction of the PALMAZ® Stent, at least 10 million people in the US have undergone coronary or peripheral artery stenting to repair obstructed arteries. Today, more than two million stents that derive from Dr Palmaz' invention are placed in patients annually.
In addition, the development of the first balloon expandable coronary stent, the PALMAZ-SCHATZ® Coronary Artery Stent, resulted in the largest randomized controlled trials at that time for a medical device. The results of two studies, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August 1994, demonstrated the efficacy and safety of Dr. Palmaz's invention, and yielded significantly better results for patients than standard balloon angioplasty. Since the launch of the first coronary PALMAZ-SCHATZ® Stent in 1994, it quickly replaced balloon angioplasty as the standard of care. Since then, physician usage of stents to treat both coronary and peripheral vascular disease has increased dramatically
"This treatment is now commonplace, but it was unknown 25 years ago. Prior to stenting, the main treatment for opening constricted arteries was balloon angioplasty or bypass surgery," said Dr. Julio Palmaz, Ashbel Smith Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "It is an honor that the National Inventor's Hall of Fame has chosen to include me in this esteemed group of inductees."
Cordis Corporation continues to sell the PALMAZ® Stent, and later generations of balloon expandable stents, including the CYPHER® Sirolimus- eluting Coronary Stent. "Cordis is proud to have partnered with our colleague Dr. Palmaz. The balloon expandable stent has revolutionized cardiac care and changed the way arterial blockages are treated," said Brian Firth, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., Vice President, Worldwide Medical Affairs and Health Economics, Cordis Corporation. "Dr. Palmaz' work is a testament to perseverance and inspiration, and we congratulate him on this recognition."
About Cordis Corporation
Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing interventional vascular technology. Through the company's continued innovation, physicians worldwide are better able to treat the millions of patients who suffer from vascular disease.
Source: Cordis Corporation |
