AS THE LARGEST single-specialty cardiology practice in the state, Cardiovascular Institute of the South offers a comprehensive vascular program, providing a multitude of methods to treat cardiovascular disease. With a mission to provide the highest quality cardiovascular care available, the institute is a world-leader in cardiovascular medicine and research, bringing international advancements to the area and improving patient outcomes in our community.

Below are some of the latest technologies that CIS has pioneered in the greater Baton Rouge area.

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR VEIN TREATMENT
Drs. Satish Gadi and Deepak Thekkoott, interventional cardiologists at CIS in Baton Rouge and Zachary, were the first to use new VenaSeal technology in the East Baton Rouge area to treat venous disease. This was also the second case in Louisiana, and to date, these cardiologists have the most experience with this procedure in the state. The procedure is performed under ultrasound guidance at a CIS clinic.

The VenaSeal closure system is a cyanoacrylate-based medical adhesive for the closure of greater and lesser saphenous veins in the legs. This unique approach is done without the use of tumescent anesthesia, meaning only one needle stick is needed to numb the area, thus avoiding patient discomfort associated with multiple needle sticks.  It also eliminates the need for post-procedure compression stockings, and post-procedure pain and bruising. The patient can return to normal activities rapidly.

“This is an almost painless way to treat varicose veins and thus very unique in that sense, since traditional treatments involve potentially painful local anesthesia,” explained Dr. Gadi.

REMOVING PLAQUE WITH PRECISION
At Baton Rouge General, Dr. Gadi, an interventional cardiologist at CIS, was one of the first in the United States to perform a new treatment procedure recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to provide relief for patients suffering from the painful symptoms of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD—a condition caused by a build-up of plaque that blocks blood flow in the arteries of legs or feet.

The new device, Avinger’s Pantheris lumivascular atherectomy system, is an innovative image-guided therapy that, for the first time, allows physicians to see and remove plaque simultaneously during atherectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that involves cutting plaque away from the artery and clearing it out to restore blood flow. The device uses real-time imaging on a catheter (similar to having a small camera on the tip of the device) so that physicians are able to remove plaque more precisely than ever before, with less risk of damage to the artery walls.  This safe and more precise treatment may potentially reduce the need for follow-up procedures and stents.

“Peripheral arterial disease is a common but serious condition that can greatly impact quality of life, with symptoms such as cramping, numbness, discoloration and pain,” said Dr. Gadi.  “We are excited about the availability of the Pantheris technology, which is a significant step forward in the treatment of the condition, enabling a more precise and safe removal of the plaque.”

INNOVATIVE PROCEDURES FOR BLOCKED ARTERIES
Patients who are not typically candidates for traditional surgery now have a new option for reducing pain and cardiovascular risk thanks to a new procedure performed for the first time by Dr. Garland Green, an interventional cardiologist with CIS, at Baton Rouge General. The non-invasive procedure treats chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries by following a complicated algorithm of treatment methods to find the most appropriate one for the patient. Options include creating new blood vessels that get blood flowing to the heart, or opening the blockage with specialized devices.

Dr. Green also utilized three new devices that had never before been used in Baton Rouge: the drug-dissolving Synergy stent, the CrossBoss CTO Crossing Catheter and the Stingray Coronary CTO Re-Entry System—all manufactured by Boston Scientific.

“We have developed techniques to make the procedures more efficient and improve the quality of life for our patients,” explained Dr. Green. “These new methods increase longevity, and patients are less likely to experience future cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes.”

NEW DEVICES TO TREAT CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
Drs. Deepak Thekkoott, Mrugesh Soni and Charles Thompson, interventional cardiologists at CIS, are the first in the state to use the Opsens OptoWire One, working at Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary.

This device is designed for the diagnosis of the severity of lesions from coronary artery disease. It focuses mainly on the measure of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in interventional cardiology. Opsens offers an advanced optical-based pressure guidewire (OptoWire) that aims at improving the clinical outcome of patients with coronary artery disease. FFR can accurately identify lesions responsible for ischemia that, in many cases, would have been undetected or not correctly assessed by imaging technologies.

“Opsens is a new pressure wire with the most advanced optical technology, and the system offers the best available care to our patients in the cath lab,” said Dr. Thekkoott. “Here at Lane, we were chosen as the first in the state and as one of the first in the country to utilize this technology to treat our patients.”

Overall, CIS continues to remain on the forefront of new technology and to expand world-class care to the region. For more information about CIS and its new technologies, visit rcardio.com. 

Cardiovascular Institute of the South  |  Baton Rouge  225.308.0247  |  Zachary  225.654.1559  | cardio.com

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