Times of India
10 April 2010
By Ketakl Latkar

With a couple of newly developed medical procedures, cardiac patients with multiple blockages have got a glimmer of hope
India is on a steady ascension with regards number of angioplasties being performed every year. Reports have it that at present, over 1.2 lakh angioplasties and a lakh bypass surgeries are conducted annually. Sedentary lifestyles, junk food, tampering with the body’s circadian rhythm, disturbed sleep cycles and high stress levels are responsible for rising cardio problems.

Dr Vivek Limaye, a renowned medical practitioner, has spearheaded the initiative of launching Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) procedures in Pune.

He says, “Angioplasty is a procedure used to open blocked or narrowed arteries going to the heart.

It improves blood flow to the heart muscle. This condition is called atherosclerosis. Angioplasty can restore blood flow to the heart if the coronary arteries have become narrowed or blocked because of the coronary heart disease.”

About IVUS and FFR, he says, “These newly developed procedures are more refilled and a boon for patients, especially, with multiple blockages of the heart vessel. With these techniques, cardiologists will be able to quantify the risk of a particular block-age and decide whether to conduct an angioplasty or bypass or simply treat it with medicines.”

IVUS provides physicians with a better understanding of blocked vessels, which allows for proper selection and placement of devices to restore blood flow at the site of the blockage, Dr Limaye adds.

Dr Shirish Hiremath, eminent cardiologist, says, “With IVUS and FFR, benefits, in terms of assessment of the blockages anatomically and structurally, are more. What matters is the precision in determining the need for an angioplasty and FFR is an accurate pointer for it. If it shows that blood flow is not significantly obstructed, a patient can be treated by medical therapy and angioplasty can be avoided.”