With the advancement of medical technologies, Dr. Ajay Agarwal, Senior Consultant – Brahmananda Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Jamshedpur urged heart patients in Jharkhand to get to know more about the many advanced technologies available today for superior heart care.
Medical technologies are constantly advancing and surgeons are now advising cardiac procedures that are less invasive, less traumatic and reduce the risk of recurrence of cardiac events. Thus, stent deployment performed under the guidance of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) ensures optimal results even in the most complex cases and results in better patient outcomes.
Referring to IVUS, Dr Agarwal said: “Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) allows us to view a coronary artery from the inside out. This unique view provides us with essential clinical information that is not possible with routine imaging methods, such as coronary angiography, performed in the cath lab, or even non-invasive CT scans.
Several studies conducted around the world also point out that IVUS-guided procedures are more accurate and even more cost-effective. The superiority of IVUS lies in its transmission of three-dimensional detailed internal image of all layers of the blood vessel, namely angiography which only offers a two-dimensional external view. This helps identify the blockage, select the correct stent size, and confirm proper placement after stent placement to minimize future risk to the patient.
Dr. Agarwal said that recently two IVUS cases were performed at BNMH. One in case of heart attack and another in complex angioplasty.
The highly advanced IVUS system works on the principle of ultrasound waves. It includes the catheter, a tube fitted with a special probe or camera at one end which has ultrasonic properties to capture the image of the internal appearance of blood vessels in real time. The other end of the tube is attached to a machine which converts the image captured by the ultrasound mechanism and displays them on a monitor, giving the surgeon a full 360 degree internal view and much greater clarity. Recently, there have been further advances in IVUS imaging with the introduction of next-generation catheters that provide even sharper, high-definition imaging of arteries, further improving diagnosis and treatment planning.
With new advances in technology to treat artery blockages in the heart, it is also advisable to use products such as drug eluting stents which have been shown to be extremely beneficial for heart patients. Latest-generation Platinum Chromium stents help optimize PCI outcomes and provide better clinical outcomes, even in complex patient cases. Procedure results can be further optimized using IVUS for successful treatment outcomes.
