Nwicker60
16-Jan-13, 10:50
Diamond drill at the cutting edge of heart surgery
WITH the majority of patients with heart attacks and angina now being treated locally in Highland thanks to the introduction of coronary angioplasty (PCI), the cardiology service in NHS Highland has further expanded the service to include a new procedure.
Sometimes patients with narrowing of their coronary arteries have blockages that are very hard with bone like deposits that are too tough for stretching with simple balloon inflation and stent implantation.
The only safe way of dealing with this is with a specialised drilling device called rotablation. With rotablation, a very small diamond tipped drill is used inside the arteries to bore through the blockage, breaking it up into microscopic pieces.
Rotablation, was carried out in mid-December under the supervision of cardiology staff from Aberdeen and, after going well, it can now be done in Raigmore Hospital as a standard procedure.
Dr Jamie Smith, Consultant Cardiologist at Raigmore Hospital , explained that the procedure is standard in cardiology labs throughout Scotland and, after some setting up and a lot of work put in by staff, it is now standard in Highland .
He said: “Rotablation is essentially a drill that allows us to tackle more severe narrowings more effectively and safely. It is designed to target hard calcium and not the soft lining of the blood vessels.”
As many as 15 patients would require this in a year in Highland and, thanks to the development of this service, these patients can now be treated closer to home.
Dr Smith said: “This technique can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours depending on the number and severity of blockages, where they are and how much calcium there is. The service has come a long way in the past two and a half years and I’m very pleased we have been able to expand it in this way.”
WITH the majority of patients with heart attacks and angina now being treated locally in Highland thanks to the introduction of coronary angioplasty (PCI), the cardiology service in NHS Highland has further expanded the service to include a new procedure.
Sometimes patients with narrowing of their coronary arteries have blockages that are very hard with bone like deposits that are too tough for stretching with simple balloon inflation and stent implantation.
The only safe way of dealing with this is with a specialised drilling device called rotablation. With rotablation, a very small diamond tipped drill is used inside the arteries to bore through the blockage, breaking it up into microscopic pieces.
Rotablation, was carried out in mid-December under the supervision of cardiology staff from Aberdeen and, after going well, it can now be done in Raigmore Hospital as a standard procedure.
Dr Jamie Smith, Consultant Cardiologist at Raigmore Hospital , explained that the procedure is standard in cardiology labs throughout Scotland and, after some setting up and a lot of work put in by staff, it is now standard in Highland .
He said: “Rotablation is essentially a drill that allows us to tackle more severe narrowings more effectively and safely. It is designed to target hard calcium and not the soft lining of the blood vessels.”
As many as 15 patients would require this in a year in Highland and, thanks to the development of this service, these patients can now be treated closer to home.
Dr Smith said: “This technique can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours depending on the number and severity of blockages, where they are and how much calcium there is. The service has come a long way in the past two and a half years and I’m very pleased we have been able to expand it in this way.”