Who is Eligible For an Atherectomy?

Your coronary arteries are essential for your heart to receive oxygenated blood. However, excess plaque buildup can block your arteries, causing various health issues like chest pain or a heart attack.

Suppose you're suffering from symptoms that signal coronary artery disease. In that case, you may be a candidate for a procedure known as atherectomy.

The Heart Clinic of Hammond team provides several coronary artery disease interventions. Dr. Ghiath Mikdadi and Dr. Farid Zayed are two esteemed cardiologists who evaluate your symptoms to determine if an atherectomy can help you.

What is an atherectomy?

An atherectomy is a form of angioplasty. Our team uses this procedure when plaque blocks blood flow in your coronary arteries that supply your heart.

When your coronary arteries are narrow due to plaque, your heart receives less oxygenated blood. If your heart doesn't have a good blood supply, you can suffer a heart attack or experience chest pain and shortness of breath.

The atherectomy allows our team to restore the blood flow in your coronary arteries. It reduces your risk of a heart attack or a clot forming in your blood vessels. Several types of this procedure include:

• Orbital atherectomy
• Laser ablation atherectomy
• Rotational atherectomy
• Excisional atherectomy

We evaluate your condition to determine which procedure is best for you. We may also require additional testing, such as angiography or vascular ultrasound, to ensure this procedure is safe for you.

Are you a good candidate for an atherectomy?

If you're exhibiting symptoms of coronary artery disease, Dr. Mikdadi and Dr. Zayed may recommend an atherectomy to relieve your discomfort. Several circumstances make you a good candidate for this procedure, including:

• You have chest pain with mild exertion
• You have shortness of breath with exertion
• You had a coronary bypass graft that failed
• You've had a heart attack
• You don't respond to medications
• You have symptoms that affect your life

We may also recommend an atherectomy if plaque only blocks one or two of your coronary arteries. You may need a more invasive procedure if more of your arteries are involved.

You may also be a good candidate if our team thinks you'll be responsive to the procedure and if we can get the catheter into your coronary arteries.

The atherectomy procedure

We perform your atherectomy in the cardiac catheterization lab. We give you a sedative or mild anesthesia to ensure you're comfortable during the procedure.

Once you're asleep, we shave and numb the area around your groin or arm. We then cut an incision in the area to insert a small catheter into the affected artery.

We use X-ray imaging to ensure the catheter reaches the exact area in your blocked coronary artery. Once there, we inject a contrast dye to get a better image on the X-ray machine.

Then Dr. Mikdadi and Dr. Zayed remove the plaque from your arteries by shaving it away or using the laser. They may also put a stent in the arteries to help keep them open for blood flow.

After we ensure restored blood flow, we close up the tiny incision and put a dressing over the top to keep it clean. We then take you to the recovery room, where our team reviews your discharge instructions before you go home.

To find out if an atherectomy is right for you, call Heart Clinic of Hammond today at 985-974-9278. You may also request an appointment on our website at one of our offices in Hammond or Amite, Louisiana.