Vascular surgeons Roger Rosen, MD, and Stephen Keith, MD, call the new device a "significant breakthrough for treating PAD"
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Joyce Brennan |
| November 25, 2008 | 508-961-5270 |
| brennanj@southcoast.org | |
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NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Roger Rosen, MD, and Stephen Keith, MD, vascular surgeons at St. Luke's Hospital, the New Bedford site of Southcoast Hospitals Group, are using new technology to fight peripheral artery disease, or PAD. The Diamondback 360™ Orbital Atherectomy System, is a minimally invasive treatment for the removal of severe blockages in the legs and feet caused by atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries.
The Diamondback 360 is considered one of the most effective and least invasive treatments for severe blockages caused by PAD, Dr. Rosen said. "This is a significant breakthrough for treating peripheral artery disease," he said.
Drs. Rosen and Keith, part of New Bedford Vascular Surgical Associates, said that more than half the patients they see in their New Bedford practice are diagnosed with peripheral artery disease annually.
"There are a combination of therapies offered in the treatment of PAD, including medication therapy, balloon angioplasty, stents and a bypass technique," Dr. Rosen said. "In the past, patients with severe blockages in the feet and legs did not have an alternative to open surgery. This new minimally invasive technique offers patients a therapy that is minimally invasive with a shorter recovery time that may help patients avoid a larger procedure in the future."
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| The Diamondback 360™ Orbital Atherectomy System is a minimally invasive treatment for the removal of severe blockages in the legs and feet caused by atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries. | |
A tiny device is inserted into the artery to "sand away" at the blockage that, in the past, would have to be surgically removed or bypassed. Using an orbital motion, the device cleans out the plaque and restores blood flow to the limbs immediately. The remaining particles are finer than a red blood cell and travel away with normal blood flow. This new therapy for PAD can take the place of more invasive surgical options and is currently only used in severe cases that cannot be treated with medication therapy or lifestyle changes.
Peripheral Artery Disease
The most common type of peripheral vascular disease is PAD, or peripheral artery disease. Characterized by the hardening of the arteries outside the heart and brain, PAD is caused by a build-up of plaque on the artery walls significantly reducing blood flow in the legs, feet, arms, intestines or kidneys. Some risk factors for PAD cannot be controlled, such as age and a personal family history of the disease. People who have diabetes, smoke and/or have high blood pressure or high cholesterol are at a greater risk.
Symptoms of PAD include cramping or weakness in your leg with activity, reddening of the feet and in severe cases gangrene. There are different stages of PAD and, according to Dr. Keith, the treatments will vary based on the severity of the disease.
"Our New Bedford practice diagnosis nearly 1,000 patients a year with PAD," Dr. Keith said. "Thirty percent of these patients will require minimally invasive treatment or surgery. The Diamondback 360 device allows us to offer a select group of patients another therapy for treating PAD before a more serious condition arises."
About Southcoast
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services.
More information is available onlinwww.southcoast.org.
Media Contact
Joyce Faria Brennan
Public Information Officer
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org
