Cardiologist Dr. Alexander Stratienko was the first physician in the region to use the new technology at Parkridge Medical Center in a late afternoon case on Wednesday, August 8. Other local facilities are expected to secure the equipment soon, which was just approved by the FDA last month. Plus is the first of a new generation of devices that is designed to protect the downstream circulation from debris that breaks lose during procedures as we repair deteriorated vein grafts, said Dr. Stratienko. Approximately half of all vein grafts, done during coronary artery bypass surgery, are blocked within seven years, according to Dr. Stratienko. However, during these procedures there is a high probability that the plaque that has blocked the vessel will break away from the vessel s wall and enter the circulatory system.
Heart attacks are a potential risk if the free-flowing debris flows into a downstream vessel.
The new technology, called GuardWire Plus, is a temporary occlusion and aspiration system manufactured by MedTronic.