CLD talks with Kirk N. Garratt, MSc, MD, MSCAI, Past President Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI); Christiana Care Health System.
We have a “limb salvage team” at the hospital that includes a vascular surgeon, a podiatrist, a wound care specialist, and a hospitalist, who manages all the comorbidities of the patient.
This procedure was first developed by Kavasaki et al in 20083, but the technique has been improved over the following years with the addition of a dual-lumen microcatheter to more easily engage the narrow, angulated side branch.
Our new Heart & Vascular program started in the fall of 2017, and between our first and second years, we experienced a 55% increase in our cath lab volumes.
Our first case highlights the limitations of commonly utilized risk predictors for perioperative stent thrombosis, while our second case features the potential utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a risk-sharpening tool to predict safe DA…
Industry has been appropriately aggressive in producing paclitaxel-coated devices, which clearly have a benefit in preventing restenosis and the requirement for reintervention. Thus, paclitaxel deserves the continued attention it is getting.
We found this technique useful for gaining access in fibrotic and calcified arteries. It does not require any extra equipment aside from the needle already on the table.
In regards to compliance, EHRs have missed the mark in a few major ways. Fortunately, minor tweaks can correct most of these deficiencies and provide regulatory insulation.
