Chief Interventional Cardiologist cum HOD at Swagat Hospital, Guwahati, Dr. Dipankar Das urges heart patients in Northeast region to have better awareness and opt for superior technologies and better patient care.To reduce the possibility of arteries re-narrowing after stent placement following angioplasties, Dr. Dipankar Das has started to apply two advanced techniques: High Definition-Intravascular Ultrasound (HD-IVUS) and the Rotablator Rotational Atherectomy System or Rotablation. Dr. Das said, “IVUS allows us to see a coronary artery from inside-out. This unique HD view provides us with critical information that is not possible with routine imaging methods, such as coronary angiography performed in the cath lab or even non- invasive CT scans. IVUS is used in coronary artery intervention to determine the structural characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques and arterial size so that physicians know how best to perform the intervention and which device to select.”
Studies conducted around the world also highlight that IVUS-guided procedures are more accurate and even more cost-effective. HD-IVUS enables the identification of the blockage, selecting the right stent size and confirming its right placement post-stenting to minimize future risk for the patient.
Dr. Dipankar Das also does rotablation, another highly-advanced technology which uses diamond drills from 1.25mm to 2.5mm size to break up calcified blockages through which conventional balloon or stent cannot pass. The drill is inserted into the coronary artery via a catheter and rotated at a very high speed to puncture calcified plaques, thus helping in stent delivery and optimal stent expansion.The latest generation Platinum Chromium stents helps in optimizing angioplasty results and provide better clinical outcomes even in complex patient cases. The procedural results can be further optimized using IVUS and Rotablation for successful therapy results. Elaborating the significance of HD IVUS, Dr. Dipankar Das says, “This cross section view enhances the understanding of the nature of the blockage or the composition of the Plaque, to take informed decisions on treatment plan and stent size. It further supports in determining the optimal placement and expansion of the stent post the procedure to help reduce complications and the incidence of stent thrombosis.”
