Noting that robotic angioplasty was an evolving technology, Y. Vijayachandra Reddy, senior consultant and interventional cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, said the robotic system made it possible for precision in measurement of the lesion and in accurately positioning the stent, which can benefit the patient.
At a webinar on ‘Forging New Paths in Complex Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting’ held as part of The Hindu Wellness Series and presented by Apollo Hospitals on Thursday, Dr. Reddy discussed the advances in the field.
Robotic angioplasty was an evolving technology with very few centres across the world having the equipment and expertise. Speaking on coronary artery diseases, he said normally with ageing, a little bit of cholesterol deposit forms in the lining of blood vessels.
Due to certain reasons, such as high blood pressure, sugar level, cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and other risk factors, the deposits are too much in the wall of the artery. When the blood flow is not enough, patients developed symptoms, he said.
In some cases, the lining of the blood vessel over the plaque gets ruptured, and the contents are exposed to the blood, forming a clot. This resulted in the interruption of blood flow, leading to heart attacks, or sometimes, sudden cardiac death, he said. “Once blocks reach a level of severity, bypass surgeries, angioplasty and stenting come in,” he added.
He spoke on various categories of patients, including pregnant women, young and elderly persons, and safe angioplasty/stenting. He noted that in intensive care units, more than 40% of patients were less than 50 years of age and around 25% below 40. “There are various reasons, including a sedentary lifestyle. There is a small subset of health-activity related heart attacks,” he said.
In his presentation, he highlighted a number of scenarios, including primary angioplasty, heart attack failed thrombolysis angioplasty, unstable angina angioplasty, calcific vessel angioplasty, rotablator calcific vessel angioplasty, ostial lesion angioplasty and branching vessel angioplasty, with physiology, imaging guidance and robotic system.
“Procedurally, angioplasty and stenting have become quite simple now. Even the more complex scenarios have become easily handleable issues. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Every advancement aids us towards that direction,” he said.
To view the webinar, visit: https://bit.ly/38fkNJG
