Facts on Coronary and peripheral interventions by Expert Dr Atul Limaye

Interventional cardiologists plan and carry out a variety of procedures and therapies to diagnose and treat heart and blood vascular problems. Interventional cardiologists are not surgeons of the heart. Dr Atul Limaye is one of the best Interventional Cardiologists in Mumba, India. He has experience of more than 15 years of experience in the field of interventional cardiology.

Dr Atul Limaye is currently associated as a Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist with Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai. He specializes in complex coronary and peripheral interventions with training at the highest volume lab in the US. He is an expert in providing treatments like Coronary Angiogram, Renal Angiogram, Cerebral Angiogram, Peripheral Angiogram, PTCA-Percutaneous. Dr Atul completed his MBBS followed by MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, USA.

Coronary and peripheral interventions: A brief Outlook

Smoking, a poor diet, and a lack of exercise can all contribute to atherosclerosis, or artery hardening, over time. If left untreated, this disease can be fatal. Fortunately, coronary interventions and peripheral interventions are two successful, less invasive methods of restoring artery blood flow.

Coronary Interventions

When cholesterol, fat, calcium, and other components clump together to create a thick material called plaque, the arteries of the body can become blocked. This plaque obstructs the flow of blood throughout the body, preventing critical nutrients from being delivered and requiring the heart to work more than usual to pump blood throughout the body. This type of obstruction is especially hazardous when it develops in the arteries around and near the heart.

A treatment known as coronary intervention is required to restore blood flow in the arteries around the heart. A small tube called a catheter is placed beneath the skin and directed into the blocked artery during this operation. A tiny device called a stent is inserted within the artery to reverse the blockage and restore blood flow. This holds the artery open and allows blood to flow freely through it.

Frequent upper body pain, shortness of breath, nausea, lack of energy, and sleep issues are symptoms that may indicate the necessity for coronary intervention. Coronary artery blockages can lead to a heart attack if left untreated.

Peripheral Interventions

When the arteries in the arms or legs become blocked, this is referred to as a peripheral arterial disease. A peripheral intervention is a technique for combating arterial blockage and restoring normal blood flow to the extremities.

Peripheral interventions, like coronary interventions, generally employ a tiny tube known as a catheter to reach the blood artery. The catheter is placed into a blood vessel and guided to the region of obstruction during therapy. Following that, a procedure is utilised to remove plaque from the artery and restore complete blood flow.

Because muscles and tissues require oxygen and nutrients to operate correctly, artery blockage can be harmful to the health of those who have it. Claudication is one of the most well-known symptoms of arterial blockage. Claudication is characterised as leg discomfort and cramping caused by the insufficient blood supply to the muscles.

Peripheral Interventional Procedures

• Peripheral angioplasty is a treatment similar to cardiac angioplasty in which surgeons use balloon angioplasty or stenting to widen constricted vessels in other areas of the body (peripheral), such as the legs, arms, or the carotid arteries in the neck that lead to the brain. A stroke can be avoided by opening clogged carotid arteries.
• Stents can also be used by a peripheral vascular specialist to treat blockages in the peripheral arteries of the legs or the carotid arteries of the neck. Doctors may employ balloon angioplasty and stenting in techniques similar to the interventional cardiac procedures mentioned above to assist reduce the discomfort associated with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
• Drug-Coated Balloons (DCB) is an emerging therapeutic option for peripheral artery disease that enables the artery to be enlarged and dealt with by a balloon while simultaneously releasing a special medicine directly into the arterial wall that prevents a new blockage from forming while leaving no permanent material behind.
• The procedure of removing a clot from an artery is known as arterial thrombolysis. Clots can form suddenly in any of the body's arteries as a result of a sudden event within the artery, such as plaque rupture. When this happens in a peripheral artery, such as a leg artery, the extremity becomes highly painful and discoloured as a result of the abrupt decrease of blood supply. When this occurs, it is critical to get treatment as soon as possible. The primary objective of therapy is to clear the obstruction and restore blood flow. One method is to put a specific catheter right at the location of the clot, where it is aspirated and removed from the artery, restoring normal blood flow and alleviating pain.

The patient is generally given a local anaesthetic (injected at the location where the catheter is implanted) so that he or she does not experience any discomfort throughout these interventional procedures.

• Peripheral atherectomy is a treatment that aids in the removal of plaque from blood arteries outside of the heart (peripheral vessels). Because the plaque is reduced to particles smaller than red blood cells, the inner surface of the artery becomes smoother and more open, allowing blood to flow more easily through the channel. A laser catheter is occasionally used to treat the artery. This technology vaporises the plaque and smoothes the vessel lining, making it more receptive to further treatments. To properly cure the obstruction, this treatment method is generally utilised in conjunction with a balloon.