Leading-Edge SilverHawkT Plaque Excision Procedure at Memorial Regional Hospital Provides Relief from PVD
Trudy's Symptoms
- Pain while walking that eased when resting
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Family history of PVD
November 2004 — "When I could no longer walk on the beach with my husband, Ralph, and family without pain, I knew I had to do something," says 65-year-old Trudy D'Alconzo.
"I had watched my mother suffer with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). When she was about 74, she had bypass surgery for blocked arteries and also took medication, but she still had so much pain that she finally stopped walking. Toward the end of her life, she suffered several mini-strokes. She died at 78. I knew I had the same condition, and I didn't want to go through what she did."
Trudy, who was already being treated with medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol by Todd Kazdan, DO, family practitioner on the medical staff at Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Pembroke, made an appointment with her cardiologist, Dennis Spiller, DO, cardiologist on the medical staff at Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Pembroke. After testing showed a severe blockage in Trudy's left femoral artery, Dr. Spiller told her, "You can't wait for treatment." He referred her to Luis Tami, MD, interventional cardiologist on the medical staff at Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Pembroke.
"I was expecting to have a balloon angiogram procedure to help clear the blockage," says Trudy. "But I found out that I would receive leading-edge treatment with a new type of procedure." Dr. Tami used the SilverHawkT Plaque Excision System, which utilizes a tiny rotating blade the size of a grain of rice to shave away large quantities of plaque from inside the artery. The plaque collects in the tip of the device and is then removed to restore blood flow. "It took Dr. Tami almost two hours to clear the plaque because my artery was so blocked," says Trudy. "But I didn't need stitches at the site where the SilverHawkT was used."
Although this procedure is typically performed on an outpatient basis, Trudy spent an additional day in the hospital for a stenting procedure to clear a blocked renal artery, identified during her pre-operative angiogram. "When I got home, I went for a walk," says Trudy. "It was like a miracle. Being able to walk without pain is the greatest thing. Now I take long, steady walks like I used to."
Trudy went back to her full-time job a week after her procedure. She continues to watch her diet, exercise and take medication to help control her genetic predisposition for PVD. "If I can't walk, I can't do the things I love, like shop, work and walk on the beach with my grandchildren. This has given me a new lease on life. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to have the SilverHawkT procedure. I feel like a whole person again."
Those at risk of developing PVD include patients with high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Other contributing factors are obesity, smoking and an inactive lifestyle. For referral to a physician, call Memorial Physician Referral Service at (800) 944-DOCS.