Navigating Tricky Arteries
Reported November 9, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new system that uses magnets to guide doctors through tricky arteries could make it much easier for physicians to perform heart procedures, report researchers presenting at the recent American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions. Researchers from Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston outlined results from one of the first studies using the new system. The study shows the magnetic system was effective in helping doctors complete balloon angioplasty procedures in patients who were considered poor candidates for standard angioplasty because they had blockages difficult to treat. The study involved 26 patients with an average age of 64. A little more than half had diabetes, which put them at risk for heart problems involving vessels that are difficult to navigate due to their many twists and turns. Together, the 26 patients had 31 blockages that needed to be treated with balloon angioplasty. Using the new magnetic system, doctors successfully treated 26 of these lesions, for a success rate of 84 percent. About 20 percent of patients treated with the magnetic system were poor candidates for standard angioplasty or had already failed the standard procedure, says study author Neal S. Kleiman, M.D. These are the patients who can benefit from the magnetic navigation system. About 15 of the computer-controlled devices are currently being used in hospitals around the world. The device was approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 2003.
SOURCE: American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Nov. 7-10, 2004
