PGI doctors perform novel procedure for safe heart stent implant
The procedure was conducted on a 53-year-old male patient from Himachal Pradesh, who was suffering from daily episodes of chest pain
Doctors at the Advanced Cardiac Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, recently performed an innovative procedure on a patient suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD).
Doctors claimed the procedure was conducted for the first time in the region, on a 53-year-old male patient from Himachal Pradesh, who was suffering from daily episodes of chest pain.
Explaining the procedure, Dr Yashpaul Sharma, head of cardiology department, said intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) was performed for the treatment of severe calcific left-main triple vessel disease, the most severe form of CAD.
It entails calcium build-up in three heart arteries, with highest blockage in the left anterior descending artery, the most critical vessel.
Dr Prashant Panda, who was among the team of doctors who performed the procedure, said in some severe artery blockage cases, the implanted stents cannot fully expand.
“In such a scenario, doctors prescribe medicines and wait for softening of the blockage before the stent is planted,” Dr Panda said.
However, IVL treats the calcified plaque, which actually blocks the optimised deployment and expansion of the stent.
“Lithotripsy electrodes inside the system generate pulsatile mechanical energy that disrupts the calcium at the target site and allows optimised stent deployment and expansion. The procedure was done successfully without any complication on January 28. The patient was discharged after being kept under observation,” Dr Panda said.
Dr Sharma said this procedure will be immensely helpful in patients, who were not a candidate for either surgical or conventional interventional treatment.
