Two U.S. physicians suggest an innovation
could help reduce complications of balloon angioplasty to treat peripheral artery disease.
Dr. Robert Dieter of Chicago's Loyola University Health System and Dr. Aravinda Nanjundappa of West Virginia University in Charleston say some
physicians using balloon angioplasty to treat peripheral artery disease -- a condition in which blood flow is restricted by clogged arteries in the leg -- use a filter device to prevent debris from escaping. The procedure involves inserting the balloon into an artery and inflating it to open the artery but loosened particles of plaque could block blood flow -- a serious condition called distal embolization.
Use of the filter to catch debris, however, can cause artery damage.
In an article published in Endovascular Today, Dieter and Nanjundappa suggest a balloon angioplasty device that sucks up dangerous plaque debris and traps it in the balloon.
"This is a much more simple and elegant approach than filter devices," Dieter says in a statement.
In two clinical trials totaling 123 patients, Dieter and Nanjundappa report the device had a success rate of 97 percent to 99 percent and consistently outperformed filter devices.