Medtronic medical vascular disposable and implantable supplies are used in angioplasty, a minimally evasive procedure. A balloon catheter is used to compress plaque within a clogged coronary artery which helps open up the artery to restore normal blood flow. Balloon catheters are supplied to the cath lab with a stent pre-mounted on the balloon. A coronary artery stent is a small, metal mesh tube that expands inside a coronary artery. A stent is often placed during or immediately after angioplasty.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for medical supplies or medical services necessary for the delivery of care and treatment at medical, dental, or veterinary teaching facilities utilized by SIU or U of I (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b-5)) Medtronic implant and supplies have to do with direct patient care. Without access to these specific supplies the hospital would not be able to offer surgical procedures and care that in turn would drive patients elsewhere and result in a loss of revenue to the Hospital.