| This year celebrates the 30th anniversary
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| | minimally invasive procedure that
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| of a medical breakthrough that has saved
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| | requires no general anesthesia. Steady
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| the lives of millions of heart attack
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| | advances in the techniques and tools of
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| victims and enabled heart attack
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| | angioplasty have made the procedure a
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| survivors to enjoy more normal lives.
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| | treatment option for more patients. In
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| It was 30 years ago that Dr. Andreas
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| | the early years, an estimated five to 10
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| Gruentzig used a small tube with a tiny
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| | percent of patients with heart disease
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| balloon on the end, called a
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| | were candidates for angioplasty, and it
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| balloon-catheter, to open his patient's
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| | was successful just 65 percent of the
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| blocked heart artery.
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| | time.
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| The procedure, called angioplasty,
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| | Today, approximately two-thirds of
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| restored normal blood flow to the heart,
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| | patients with coronary artery disease are
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| relieved the 38-year-old patient's chest
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| | candidates for angioplasty, stenting and
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| pain and likely prevented a heart attack.
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| | other catheter-based treatments. The
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| Before angioplasty, survivors of heart
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| | treatments are successful in 98 percent
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| attacks often faced life-long disability
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| | of patients, and major complications
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| and physical restriction.
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| | occur in only 1.5 percent of cases. Just
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| This year, cardiologists from around the
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| | one patient in 1,000 needs emergency
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| world are celebrating angioplasty's 30
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| | bypass surgery.
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| years of progress in stopping heart
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| | Refinements in catheters and balloons
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| attacks and treating coronary artery
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| | have been continuous. But dramatically
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| disease. They are also looking ahead to
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| | improved patient outcomes are attributed
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| new frontiers, including the promise of
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| | to two other major advancements:
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| angioplasty and stent placement to stop
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| | • The bare metal stent, approved by
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| stroke, America's third-largest killer
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| | the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in
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| and the leading cause of serious
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| | 1994, was designed to address the problem
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| disability.
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| | of sudden collapse of an artery following
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| "Thirty years ago, one in four heart
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| | angioplasty. Stents overcame this problem
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| attack victims died," said Bonnie Weiner,
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| | by propping the artery open and restoring
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| M.D., president of The Society for
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| | normal blood flow.
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| Cardiovascular Angiography and
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| | • The drug-eluting or coated stent,
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| Interventions (SCAI) and professor of
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| | first approved in the U.S. in 2003 and
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| medicine and interim chair of
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| | designed to release medication over time
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| cardiovascular medicine at St. Vincent
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| | to interrupt the biologic processes that
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| Hospital at Worcester Medical Center in
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| | cause tissue growth and re-narrowing
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| Worcester, Mass. "Today, more than 95
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| | inside the stent, has reduced the
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| percent survive. And it's very typical
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| | incidence of tissue build-up from 40
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| for heart attack survivors to return to
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| | percent in the early days to just five to
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| work and normal activities just a few
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| | seven percent today.
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| days after angioplasty."
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| | Looking ahead, angioplasty's
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| "Although heart disease continues to be
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| | catheter-based procedures and tools offer
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| the number one killer in the U.S., the
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| | exciting potential for treating other
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| success and progress of angioplasty is
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| | serious health issues effectively-and
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| one of modern medicine's most inspiring
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| | less invasively.
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| stories," says Steven Bailey, M.D., SCAI
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| | One of the most exciting areas of
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| secretary and interim chief of the
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| | development is the treatment of diseased
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| Division of Cardiology, professor of
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| | carotid arteries, the vessels that supply
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| medicine at the University of Texas
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| | blood to the brain, to stop or prevent
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| Health Sciences Center at San Antonio.
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| | stroke.
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| The discovery that balloon catheters
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| | Catheter-based procedures are also being
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| could serve as tools for delivering
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| | used to treat renal arteries that supply
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| medical therapies to arteries launched a
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| | blood to the kidneys and arteries that
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| new era of "interventional cardiology."
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| | provide oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood
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| Until then, emergency coronary artery
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| | to the legs and feet.
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| bypass graft surgery (CABG) and
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| | Even newer devices are being delivered
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| clot-busting drugs were the only
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| | via catheter to close a small, naturally
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| interventions to stop heart attacks and
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| | occurring hole between the upper left and
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| treat coronary artery disease.
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| | right chambers of the heart that puts
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| Angioplasty, which is frequently
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| | some patients at a higher risk of stroke.
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| accompanied by stent implantation, is a
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