First conceived in the early 1990s, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS) were developed to provide temporary arterial mechanical support and anti-proliferative effects similar to permanent metallic drug-eluting stents (DES), but then completely resorb into the body after a finite period of time, returning the vessel to its normal state.

While metallic stents were (and still are) the gold standard for treating atherosclerotic vascular diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD), the idea was that bioresorbable scaffolds could perform the same function as their metallic counterparts, but without the long-term risks of restenosis, thrombosis at the implant site, or the need to commit a patient to a life-long permanent implant – all well-known limitations of metallic stents.

While promising, first-generation BRS suffered from fundamental limitations regarding strut thickness, limited over-expansion, and the requirement for special considerations in implantation techniques. As a result, widespread BRS adoption for the treatment of CAD failed to fully materialize, though the interest in the technology remained high.

Over the last 15 years, with the help of partners like MeKo, Zeus has remained committed to developing bioabsorbable products that play a key role in treating this debilitating disease. By studying the failures and building on the successes of the past, we’ve developed an optimized oriented tubing platform, Absorv™ XSE, specifically designed for next-generation BRS.

Not only does Absorv™ XSE address challenges of prior generation bioabsobable tubing technology by providing unmatched sizing capabilities, uniform wall thickness, and tailored absorption profiles, but it has also been optimized for laser-cutting. In partnering with MeKo, we’ve seen that the improved uniformity and longer available lengths of Absorv™ XSE have resulted in remarkable improvements in laser cutting efficiency when compared to the prior generation of Absorv™ oriented tubing.

By combining improved performance with improved manufacturing efficiency, we feel Absorv™ XSE could truly revolutionize BRS technology and enable a pathway for next-generation coronary BRS and beyond, and we’re just getting started.

James M. Lindsey III, Senior Research Engineer at Zeus, and Fridtjof Strass, Project Manager at MeKo, share additional commentary in the video below:

For more details on Absorv™ XSE, download a copy of our white paper today.