Vascular Surgery
Premier Health opened the region’s first endovascular suite dedicated to vascular surgery at Miami Valley Hospital. Premier Health’s vascular surgical specialists also perform procedures at Atrium Medical Center.
Common Vascular Surgery Treatments
Common vascular procedures performed at Atrium Medical Center and Miami Valley Hospital include:
- Atherectomy. A minimally-invasive method for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition in which plaque builds up in peripheral arteries of the legs. This blocks blood flow to the lower legs and feet, leading to pain and limb damage, if untreated. Atherectomy is performed using a catheter with a sharp blade on the end to cut through and remove blockages.
- Bioconvertible IVC filter. For patients undergoing surgery who must stop taking blood thinners to dissolve blood clots in the legs, this device can help to prevent a life-threatening pulmonary embolism by blocking clots from reaching the heart and lungs. The filter is placed in the inferior vena cava (IVC), the large vein that travels toward the heart, for protection while the patient is off blood-thinning medication. Unlike conventional filters, the bioconvertible IVC filter remains in the body, eliminating the need for a second procedure to remove it.
- Peripheral artery bypass surgery
- Femoral popliteal bypass surgery
- Peripheral arterial angioplasty and stent
- Carotid endarterectomy
Advanced Technologies For Treating Peripheral Artery Disease
Premier Health has brought to Southwest Ohio two advanced minimally invasive technologies that enable interventional cardiologists to see the interiors of peripheral arteries to help them more precisely perform atherectomies – that is, to treat peripheral artery disease by cutting through and removing blockages to restore healthy blood flow.
These two technologies include:
- Ocelot,
which is aptly named for the cat that possesses excellent night vision. Ocelot utilizes an advanced approach, called lumivascular (lumi = light, vascular = artery) atherectomy. Ocelot incorporates an imaging fiber on the end of a catheter, which acts as a camera to allow physicians to see inside an artery. Unlike other imaging technologies used in atherectomies, lumivascular is a radiation-free technology.
The Ocelot technology enables physicians to more accurately navigate through complicated blood vessels, drill through blockages, and restore blood flow.
Click play to watch an animated video and see the Ocelot in action.
- Pantheris Small Vessel (SV), first used in Ohio at Miami Valley Hospital, is specially designed for treating smaller blocked vessels below the knee. Pantheris SV also uses radiation-free lumivascular technology, which
provides physicians real-time, image-guided support to help them distinguish between healthy and diseased tissue. This enables them to more precisely remove plaque from small arteries – for improved patient safety and reduced risk of vessel
damage, compared to other techniques.
Smaller vessels can be more difficult to treat without visual assistance and, when blocked, often result in the severest form of PAD – critical limb ischemia, or CLI. If not addressed quickly, CLI can lead to amputation.
CLI is often discovered by podiatrists when patients see them for nonhealing ulcers or gangrenous tissue, which result from lack of blood flow due to blockages in lower leg vessels. Atherectomy with Pantheris SV can restore blood flow to promote healing.
Click play to watch an animated video of how lumisvascular technology works to remove blockages in peripheral arteries.
Contact Us
Every moment of your life depends on a strong, healthy heart. The Premier Health cardiology and vascular services team is here to help you, each beat of the way, with prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation services in our hospitals, outpatient centers, and medical offices across Southwest Ohio.