Over 60 Heart Disease Patients in Japan Await Surgery Amid Critical Stent Shortage
A critical shortage of stents for treating congenital heart disease has persisted in Japan for three years, leaving at least 60 patients, primarily children and adolescents aged 10 to 19, waiting for necessary procedures. The scarcity stems from the July 2023 discontinuation of sales for stents previously repurposed from adult leg vessels, driven by manufacturers' lack of profitability in this niche market. Consequently, patients facing severe symptoms like shortness of breath are forced to undergo open-chest surgery or temporary balloon treatments, both of which impose significant physical burdens and carry higher risks of complications compared to standard stent insertion. A research team from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development analyzed nationwide data to estimate the number of affected individuals, highlighting that many have already undergone infant surgeries and face limited activity levels. Medical experts criticize the situation as a failure where pediatric care is dictated by market forces rather than medical necessity, noting that standard international treatments are unavailable in Japan. This issue underscores broader challenges in maintaining supply chains for rare pediatric medical devices, with other equipment like coils and balloons also facing availability issues.
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Over 60 Heart Disease Patients in Japan Await Surgery Amid Critical Stent Shortage
A critical shortage of stents for treating congenital heart disease has persisted in Japan for three years, leaving at least 60 patients, primarily children and adolescents aged 10 to 19, waiting for necessary procedures. The scarcity stems from the July 2023 discontinuation of sales for stents previously repurposed from adult leg vessels, driven by manufacturers' lack of profitability in this niche market. Consequently, patients facing severe symptoms like shortness of breath are forced to undergo open-chest surgery or temporary balloon treatments, both of which impose significant physical burdens and carry higher risks of complications compared to standard stent insertion. A research team from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development analyzed nationwide data to estimate the number of affected individuals, highlighting that many have already undergone infant surgeries and face limited activity levels. Medical experts criticize the situation as a failure where pediatric care is dictated by market forces rather than medical necessity, noting that standard international treatments are unavailable in Japan. This issue underscores broader challenges in maintaining supply chains for rare pediatric medical devices, with other equipment like coils and balloons also facing availability issues.
The Mainichi