High-Powered Laser unblocks Arteries

 

High-Powered Laser – which unblocks arteries in minutes, It has been designed in the UK.

Arteries  which get blocked due to cholesterol; hypertension and diabetes may now get a quicker treatment in minutes By an High-Powered Laser.

The new procedure involved a fitting a special catheter or tube to a new laser called the Excimer that blasts tissues into small particles which can be seen under a microscope.

Trials at University College Hospital in London have proved the procedure a major success as it not only reduced operating times but also dramatically sped up patients’ recovery time.

The first two patients were treated at the hospital and discharged the next day, instead of spending weeks in hospital.

The small tube, or stent, used to widen the artery can also become blocked.

At least 1 in 3 patients who undergo treatment end up with a new blockage and this puts them further at risk of future health problems.

Until now, the only solutions available to doctors were further operations and ultimately complex bypass surgery, which is high risk.

But Dr. Joe Brookes and his team at University College Hospital found the potential of a Laser Technology as a revolutionary device to unclog arteries.

He says, “It’s an incredibly difficult treatment to unblock an artery, especially if a patient has a stent.

With the New Laser Technology called as Excimer-

• Now  there is no need for further surgery.
• Instead, the device vaporises tissue in minbloodutes with the help of ultra violet light which delivers short bursts of energy, he said.
• The light is transmitted through 30 glass filaments which are guided through the blockage in the artery with a special catheter called the Turbo Elite.
• Once the tissue has been blasted away, normal flow is restored. Another advantage of the laser over traditional treatments is that any remaining particles are absorbed into the bloodstream and safely passed out of the body.

The use of lasers is not new. But this turbo-charged version is known as a ‘cool’ laser which is high energy but safer than traditional ‘hot’ lasers, he said.

Dr. Brookes said, “This has been a problem in the past. Particles cause blockages elsewhere downstream-stream. With this laser, the matter is so small it easily gets broken down in the body then passed out.”

“The advantage with this is the laser treats only what you need it to target. The laser goes over a safety wire and it’s much targeted, similar to using a drill.” he added.

Source- Published in Daily Mail

Advertisements