WellSpan Offers Complex Care for Heart Blockages By Barry Sparks
and restores blood flow to the heart. The doctor may place a stent, a small mesh tube, into the newly opened section of the blood vessel to hold the artery open. “Most patients feel substantially better and their symptoms are improved after the procedure,” says Davies. “This improves their quality of life, which is the goal.” In most cases, patients spend just one night in the hospital following the procedure.
Patients with complete blockages in their hearts can undergo a complex yet minimally invasive procedure by experts at WellSpan York Hospital, allowing them to avoid surgery and quickly return to their normal life. Called complex chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention, or CTO/PCI, the procedure is an alternative for patients who have had a complete blockage of one or more coronary arteries The Signs and Diagnosis of CTO for at least three months. Patients who are at risk of chronic WellSpan York Hospital performs total occlusion (CTO) are those who about 250 of these procedures a year, smoke or have high cholesterol, diabetes, making it one of the top hospitals in high blood pressure, a history of heart the country to offer the technically attack, or known coronary disease and challenging treatment. Its expertise obesity. Their symptoms can include chest results in referrals from physicians across discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, the East Coast, who send their patients to fatigue, nausea, pain in the upper body or York to undergo the procedure. Dr. Rhian Davies, director of arm, and rapid or irregular heartbeat. “Cardiologists must undergo intense Complex Coronary Interventional Diagnosis of CTO involves a patient’s training to be able to perform CTO/ Cardiology at WellSpan. medical history, a physical exam, and a PCI efficiently,” says Dr. Rhian Davies, coronary angiogram procedure, which who completed a year-long fellowship, takes images of the arteries. Other tests for CTO may include during which she performed more than 400 of these complex electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests, nuclear procedures. “The more procedures you perform, the better medicine PET scans, and cardiac MRIs. prepared and equipped you are.” Besides CTO/PCI, other treatment options for CTO include CTO/PCI is a minimally invasive procedure. An medications, which can have side effects, and open-heart interventional cardiologist inserts a small tube called a sheath surgery, which may not be an option for all patients. into blood vessels in the wrist or groin. Davies says CTO/PCI treatment will continue to evolve. Next, a catheter (a smaller tube) is placed within the sheath “Technology and technique are becoming more refined,” and directed through the heart and to the affected coronary she says. “We’re seeing new developments in catheters artery. The interventional cardiologist then inserts a thin guide and devices to help facilitate opening of these blockages. wire through the catheter and across the narrowed or blocked Interventional cardiologists are becoming more comfortable section of the artery. with the procedure, and complication rates are decreasing. The This is followed by insertion of a second smaller catheter, procedure is becoming safer.” equipped with a balloon that is inflated within the narrowed or blocked section of the artery. The balloon opens the artery www.BusinessWomanPA.com
Heart Health 2023
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