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June 29, 2006
Vascular laser treatment
at Marquette General may save limbs
Procedure offered at only a few hospitals nationwide
Many patients, especially those with diabetes,
have severely blocked arteries in their legs. This condition of
blocked blood flow, known as Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) can
ultimately lead to the loss of toes, feet, or an entire leg.
A laser procedure now being offered in the Heart
Institute at Marquette General Hospital offers a new treatment
option for these patients.
Cardiologists William
Jean and Nelson
Gencheff are using the new CliRpath excimer, or “cool,”
laser to open severely blocked arteries in the legs. Patients
having the procedure have had such severe blockages that they
could not be penetrated with catheterization guide wires.
“This new laser treatment can clear plaque and clotted blood
that has built up to the point that the arteries in the legs are
completely blocked,” said Dr. Jean. “These blockages
have not been able to be opened by any previous method available
to us. Now, our CLI patients in the Upper Peninsula can have a
minimally invasive treatment that may prevent these seriously
ill patients from facing a possible amputation.”
The laser unit produces an intense light beam that is delivered
with great precision through fiber optic catheters to a small
area of tissue. The catheters are made of tiny, flexible silica
fibers, each about the width of a human hair. These catheters
deliver short bursts of “cool” ultraviolet energy
directly to the obstruction in the artery, vaporizing the blockage,
and opening up the artery to restore blood flow.
“The quality of life that patients can enjoy as a result
of this procedure is significant,” said Dr. Gencheff. “With
this procedure, we expect that more than 90 percent of patients
with critical limb ischemia will have blood flow restored to their
legs and feet.”
According to Dagmar Raica, program director of the Marquette General
Heart Institute, the procedure is done in the cardiac catheterization
labs at Marquette General. Most patients are usually able to go
home the same day or the following day.
Affecting one million people in the United States each year, CLI
is the most severe form of peripheral vascular disease. Without
treatment, this restricted blood flow can lead to pain in the
legs while at rest and the development of foot ulcers. For 100,000
people with critical limb ischemia in the United States each year,
the disease results in the loss of their toes, feet, or the entire
leg.
CLI is one of many kinds of peripheral artery diseases that can
be treated by a variety of vascular treatment options available
at Marquette General Hospital. By working with your physician,
specialists at Marquette General can determine the most appropriate
treatment for each patient.
For information about laser treatment for Critical Limb Ischemia,
please ask your physician for a referral to Upper Michigan Cardiovascular
Associates PC in the Peninsula Medical Center, or call 906-225-3870,
or 1-800-628-3333, extension 3870. For information on any vascular
condition, you may also call the Marquette General Vascular
Services Helpline at 1-866-906-2852.
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