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Boston Scientific has announced the European market launch of the PROMUS Element Plus everolimus-eluting platinum chromium coronary stent. Professor Antonio Colombo, director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Columbus Hospital and San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, recently implanted the first patient in Europe with the device. The stent incorporates platinum chromium (PtCr) alloy and features a catheter delivery system designed to facilitate deliverability in treating patients with coronary artery disease. Boston Scientific plans on marketing the stent in select European and other CE Mark countries immediately. A full market launch will follow in the second quarter of 2012.

"The PtCr alloy and stent architecture used in the Element platform offer significant advantages in conformability and radiopacity compared to other stent platforms," explained Colombo in a press release. "I believe the improved deliverability of the PROMUS Element Plus Stent System will add another significant benefit, especially when accessing challenging lesions. This innovative stent is also supported by strong clinical outcomes from the PLATINUM trials, which demonstrated very low rates of revascularization and stent thrombosis at one year."

From the announcement:

The PROMUS Element Stent, found on the PROMUS Element Stent System and the PROMUS Element Plus Stent System, uses a proprietary PtCr alloy designed specifically for coronary stenting, which enables enhanced visibility, less recoil, excellent conformability and higher radial strength. The PROMUS Element Plus Stent System employs an advanced low-profile delivery system featuring a dual-layer balloon designed to enable precise stent delivery across challenging lesions and reduce balloon growth during inflation to facilitate high-pressure stent deployment. The everolimus drug and fluorinated copolymer used on the PROMUS Element Stent have been studied in multiple randomized clinical trials and 'real-world' registries, demonstrating excellent long-term safety and efficacy.

• Press Release: Boston Scientific Announced First Implant and Market Launch...

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