Photo caption: Dr. Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland (left) with Prof. Patrick Serruys, lead of the ASET-DCB OCT study
Researchers at the University of Galway are to lead a €2m national study on improving treatment for heart disease.
This will be a four-year clinical trial on improving treatment for coronary heart disease using a novel device.
Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in Ireland.
Current treatment typically involves the placement of a stent in the artery, and prescription of blood-thinning medication for an extended period.
While this is effective, the approach can increase the risk of bleeding for some patients.
This new study aims to determine if treatment using a special drug-coated balloon could eliminate the need for permanent implants, as well as aspirin post treatment.
The study will also use advanced techniques to examine how arteries heal following treatment, and if patients can be treated safely with fewer blood thinning medications.
The four-year clinical trial is led by Professor Patrick Serruys, Professor Yoshinobu Onuma and Professor Faisal Sharif at the University of Galway.
