960401

Angioplasty now

a reliable

heart treatment

KARACHI: Coronary angioplasty (PTCA - balloon dilatation of heart arteries) has become a well-established mode of treatment for patients with coronary artery disease. The technique of coronary angioplasty has vastly improved in recent years enhancing the benefits and minimising the risks. However, the experience and skill of the physician and availability of advanced facilities still remain a key factor.

This was stated by Dr. Khawar A. Kazmi, Consultant Cardiologist, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, according to a press release on Saturday.

He was speaking on 'Coronary angioplasty' during the Public Health Awareness Programme under the 'Signs, Symptoms & Care" series.

Dr. Kazmi said that until recently, the only treatment available for patients with severe coronary artery disease was coronary artery bypass surgery but now balloon angioplasty offers these patients in option with same benefits but without undergoing general anesthesia or a major surgery.

Both balloon angioplasty and bypass surgery remain complementary modes of treatment and choice of one or the other is made jointly by the cardiologist and the cardiac surgeon after carefully reviewing the individual patient's pattern of coronary artery blockages from the angiogram.

Dr. Kazmi further elaborated that one of the risks with balloon angioplasty used to be the recurrence of narrowing in the treated arteries. But now this problem has been addressed with availability of stents.

(Stent is a very fine wire mesh which is mounted on a special balloon and is placed at the site of narrowing within the heart arteries which prevent these arteries from again developing blockages).

The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) has the distinction of offering this sophisticated technique for the first time in Karachi. The cardiology team at AKUH has done a number of procedures with balloon dilatation and stent placement in patients with complex narrowing and total blockages of heart arteries with excellent results.