Eurocor GmbH, the cent per cent German subsidiary of Opto Circuits India hosted two live cases and a successful symposium on the concept of a Drug Eluting Balloon (DEB) – DIOR PTCA catheter, at the sixth Asian Interventional Cardiovascular Therapeutics (AICT) 2010 in Singapore last week.

Leading physicians from Asia and Europe gathered in Marina Bay Sands to share their experience on DIOR and to discuss its wide ranging indications for in-stent restenosis (ISR), acute myocardial infarctions (AMI), small vessel stenting and bifurcation lesions. DIOR is a drug (paclitaxel)-eluting breakthrough balloon dilatation catheter developed by scientists at Eurocor and used interventional cardiologists globally.

AICT 2010 was organized by the National University Heart Centre which also showcased the latest advances in coronary interventional technology through live cases, lectures and interactive sessions with experts. The section titled “DIOR - Drug Eluting Balloon (DEB) - Concept to Clinical application" was hosted by Eurocor GmbH.

The first live case for in-stent restenosis was performed by Dr Adrian F Low from the National University Heart Centre, Singapore on a patient who had three lesions and was treated using three drug-eluting balloons. The second live case for a bifurcation lesion was performed by Dr Dato Rosli from Malaysia and Dr Praveen Chandra from India. DIOR was used in both the live cases.

Dr Peter Stella from Netherlands presented the data from the Drug Eluting Balloon In Bifurcation Trial (DEBUIT) on the application of DIOR in the treatment of bifurcation lesions. DEBUIT is a multi-centre clinical study which compared the effectiveness of DIOR when used in combination with a bare metal stent (BMS) versus other treatment options involving drug-eluting stents and uncoated balloon catheters. The study results showed significant clinical advantages provided by DIOR in bifurcated lesions. It demonstrated reduced rates of binary restenosis and related complications.

Delving into the Asian market scenario, Sreerangan Kurup, managing director, Eurocor GmbH said that the cardiovascular device segment in South-East Asia has been growing at a rate of 10 to 15 per cent. AICT has provided us with an excellent platform to showcase our European experience and technical know-how in the market, he added.

The use of DIOR has also drastically reduced the duration of anti-platelet therapy to three months when compared to a drug-eluting stent which requires anti-platelet therapy of 12 months or more, thereby reducing post-procedure medication costs for the patients too, stated the Eurocor GmbH chief.