Posted on 04/14/2023 8:59:14 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Old blood clots in lung arteries can obstruct blood flow and lead to pressure build-up in the affected arteries. When this happens, symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and fainting spells may develop, which severely impair quality of life. While this condition, known as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), is often effectively treated with open heart surgery, many CTEPH patients cannot undergo surgery, because of other medical problems or because blockages in their arteries are beyond the reach of surgery.
Said Riyaz Bashir, MD, FACC: "CTEPH patients treated with balloon pulmonary angioplasty come away having fewer symptoms, and some may be able to come off medications altogether."
Balloon pulmonary angioplasty was first introduced in the early 2000s but was associated with high rates of major complications. Refinements in technique over the past decade have vastly improved its efficacy and safety.
A long catheter over a wire is advanced through the tube and into the lung arteries, where a blockage is identified under an X-ray camera. A small balloon is then used to open the blockage slowly, while blood pressure beyond the blockage is monitored simultaneously. Patients typically are awake and are given a mild sedative and local anesthesia during the procedure.
In order to open blockages throughout the lungs, balloon pulmonary angioplasty is carried out over the course of multiple treatment sessions.
Bleeding risk traditionally has been high with balloon pulmonary angioplasty. "But with continued refinement of the procedure, we have successfully decreased bleeding rates in these patients," Dr. Bashir explained. "In doing so, we are now able to show that balloon pulmonary angioplasty is not only relatively safe but also associated with key improvements in pulmonary hypertension and functional capacity."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
This procedure is currently available at multiple hospitals.
Bttt
“This procedure is currently available at multiple hospitals.”
And has been for YEARS!
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“Angioplasty was first described by the US interventional radiologist Charles Dotter in 1964.”
Relatively few hospitals are able to do this in the tiny lung areas, and it takes multiple days of work.
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