April 14--Starting this month, doctors will have a new tool available in treating peripheral artery disease. But one doctor at University Medical Center got to test the equipment before its wide release.
Dr. Alex Suarez, a University Medical Center cardiologist, was the first doctor in the state and among the first in the country to use a new tool for clearing arteries during heart surgery. UMC and nine other hospitals were selected to test the TurboHawk Plaque Excision System, made by Covidien, a health care product company.
Suarez said it's not often that UMC doctors test new products.
Matthew Meyers, a Covidien senior territory manager, said Suarez was selected based on his previous work with Covidein products.
"We look to our lead physicians for their input before we launch the devise to the whole country," Meyers said.
The product is an upgrade from its predecessor, the SilverHawk, and is better suited for cleaning small blood vessels. It's typically used in surgery for treating patients with PAD when plaque builds up in the arteries and reduces blood flow.
This new tool is smaller and can reach into smaller arteries in the lower parts of the legs. Not many doctors operate on arteries in that area, but Suarez has experience with that, Meyers said.
The TurboHawk has a small rotating blade that cuts through and collects the plaque, opening the arteries.
"Physicians can makes as many passes as they need to to remove all the plaque," Meyers explained.
The surgeon used the TurboHawk along with an ultrasound machine to show how well it worked, Suarez said.
Covidien reports that the new technology will ease recovery for patients and decrease recovery time. While its predecessor cleaned out the arteries, the new tool has a blade that cuts through the plaque.
According to the American Heart Association, approximately eight to 12 million people in the U.S. suffer from PAD. The disease is often associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and obesity.
Suarez performed three surgeries using the new tool and said all the procedures using the new equipment went smoothly and had "very impressive results."
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