Dr. Aditya Bharadwaj, an interventional cardiologist, performed a unique procedure for stent surgery on American patient David Quiett (Vietnam War veteran) and is the first of its kind in the United States. He had severe coronary artery calcification (a condition in which calcium builds-up in the arteries) in heart vessels and leg arteries and required stent procedure and insertion of Impella. The procedure was performed at Loma Linda University and Heart Institute in California.
Usually, the stent and Impella insertion procedure is performed via the leg artery but this was not possible in this case due to calcium deposition in leg arteries as well. With no options left, Dr. Bharadwaj inserted a stent and heart-pumping device through the axillary artery in the shoulder.
Prior to the insertion surgery, doctors drilled out the calcium deposition in the cardiac artery. This procedure is known as atherectomy and was done via a shoulder artery. The surgery was complex and challenging, as working with the arteries near the neck increases the risk of stroke. The surgery was successful and the patient was discharged two days later.
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