Advancements in Cardiac Surgery: Dr. Jay Shah from HCG Hospitals, Ahmedabad, Shared His Expertise in an Online Session

Dr. Jay Shah, a Cardiologist, gave an online session to Vaidam’s team on the advancements in Cardiac Surgery. In the session, he explained that digital X-ray imaging has become crucial in the cardiac catheterization laboratory due to the constant advancements in digital imaging technology.

He discussed the three important imaging modalities used daily for Cardiac procedures: iFR, FFR, and Rotablation. 

• The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is used for assessing the hemodynamic severity of a lesion as an alternative to the fractional flow reserve (FFR).
• The FFR optimizes the risk stratification of chest pain patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG).
• Rotablation involves attempting to “bore out” a narrowing in a coronary artery that might not otherwise respond to stenting. It increases the success rate in highly calcified patients.

During the conversation, he discussed the Cardiac Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) diagnostic test, which employs sound waves to visualize inside the blood vessels. The test is particularly valuable for assessing the coronary arteries that provide blood to the heart.

Additionally, he explained Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a diagnostic procedure used during cardiac catheterization. Unlike ultrasound, OCT uses sound waves to image blood vessels. With OCT, doctors can obtain images of the blood vessels that are about the same as if they were looking under a microscope.

Further, he elaborated on the Flat panels and digital angiography systems, one method of obtaining clearer images of complex vascular and cardiac anatomy. Introducing flat panel detectors (FPD), replacing image intensifiers, for angiography has broadened digital imaging’s role in the cath lab. Now cardiologists can see the intricacies of the heart and the vascular system and how well they function immediately and with greater clarity.

About Dr. Jay Shah

Dr. Jay Shah is an Interventional Cardiologist with over 15 years of experience. He practices at HCG Hospitals, Ahmedabad. He specializes in Bifurcation Stenting, Complex Coronary Interventions like PAMI, Multivessel Stenting, CTO, etc. He has also worked as a CREATE Study coordinator at one of the premium cardiology institutes.

About HCG Hospitals, Ahmedabad

Established in 2007, the hospital serves various medical needs with the highest level of healthcare across the region. The hospital strives to find innovative ways to enhance the quality of patients with the help of the latest technology and state-of-the-art facilities at affordable prices. 

The experienced Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons available in the hospital provide a wide range of procedures, including the following:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
• Valve Surgeries
• Congenital Heart Surgeries
• Aortic and Pulmonary Artery Surgeries.
• Minimal Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS)
• Redo Cardiac Surgeries / Thoracic Surgeries
• Vascular Surgeries / Specialized Surgeries

The Cardiology department in the hospital is equipped with the most advanced technologies in Intensive Care Units Operation Theatres, such as:

• Digital Cardiac Catheterization
• Computerized Treadmill Test
• 24-hour Holter Monitoring systems
• 2D Echo
• Color Doppler
• Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
• Electrophysiology Laboratory

Key Takeaway

The online session was interactive as Vaidam’s team asked questions and cleared their doubts about technologies and advancements. We look forward to more such sessions to gain knowledge from experienced specialists.