Oklahoma Heart Institute

Oklahoma Heart Institute implants first-of-its-kind naturally dissolving heart stent in patient with coronary artery disease

Tulsa, OK (August 23, 2016) Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI) recently became one of the first hospitals in Oklahoma to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option that literally disappears over time. Mary Seago of Liberty Mounds, OK, was the first OHI patient to be implanted with the world's first FDA-approved dissolving heart stent. The Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold is a major advancement in the treatment of coronary artery disease, which affects 15 million people in the United States and remains a leading cause of death worldwide.

Hunting for a Cure

It was “the most debilitating thing someone could have,” according to 65 year old rancher and avid outdoors-man Melvin Mills. “It started when I was 45,” he remembers. “Nobody knew what it was.” Then in 2005, Melvin met Dr. David Sandler, who diagnosed him with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) and warned him it could worsen.