Local Cardiologists Evaluate New Catheter
Helps to Eliminate Leg Amputation & Surgical Bypass
 OPELOUSAS, LA- Cardiologists with Opelousas General Health System’s Heart & Vascular Institute performed procedures Friday with World Renowned Cardiologist and Inventor John Simpson, M.D. in order to evaluate his new “Wildcat” catheter.
The new device was approved by the FDA in February and was designed to save the legs of patients who suffer from blocked arteries, a condition called peripheral arterial disease.
Cardiologist, Dr. Kalyan Veerina with the OGHS Heart & Vascular Institute and Cardiovascular Institute of the South, evaluated the catheter alongside Dr. Simpson and the OGHS Cath Lab Team. “PAD is prevalent in the United States yet often under diagnosed, affecting 12 million adults. If PAD goes untreated, it increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and can lead to leg amputation,” Veerina said.
The Avinger Wildcat Catheter, named after equipment used to drill for oil in Avinger, Texas, helps clear the blocked artery. According to Dr. Simpson, the catheter works like a cork screw to dislodge the blockages, enabling the blockage to be pulled out and restoring blood flow throughout the vessel.
“Many patients faced only surgical bypass options because occluded or blocked arteries were often not crossable. The Avinger Wildcat should give us the tool needed to treat these patient with a non-surgical, endovascular option, Simpson said.
Dr. Simpson is a noted physician, professor of clinical medicine at Stanford University, entrepreneur
and pioneer in the world of medicine. He says, “My dream is to stamp out amputation in this country.” |
|
- - - - - - - - |
539 E. Prudhomme St., Opelousas, Louisiana, 70570, (337)948-3011
|
|