Premier Health Cardiologist First in Ohio to Use New PAD Technology

Premier Health cardiologist Gary Fishbein, MD, is the first in Ohio to use new technology offering a better view and easier access to smaller vessels in the legs for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The Pantheris Small Vessel (SV) procedure is advanced atherectomy technology offered by Avinger Inc. and approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration in April. An atherectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for PAD utilizing a catheter-based device to remove plaque from a blood vessel.

Dr. Fishbein used Pantheris SV at Miami Valley Hospital Sept. 20 on a female patient with diabetes who had previously had multiple procedures on leg arteries. The patient reported recently she was again able to walk desired distances without problems she experienced before the procedure.

“This is laser-assisted technology that allows you to see layers of the artery where you are working,” Dr. Fishbein said. “This allows us to clean the plaque out of the artery, to allow more blood flow.”

Physicians using other devices rely on X-ray as well as tactile feedback during the interventions.

The Pantheris SV is for use on patients with smaller arteries of two to four millimeters, while other devices are for arteries measuring four to seven millimeters. This treatment most often benefits people with diabetes, who tend to have smaller arteries, and women, Dr. Fishbein said.

During the procedure, a catheter is placed down an artery. A wire is passed beyond the narrowing where the buildup of plaque has occurred. The Pantheris SV’s cutter window is then pointed toward plaque, which is shaved away as the wire is retracted.

 “I liken it to a snowplow. The blade comes out and scrapes away the plaque,” Dr. Fishbein said.

Back to the December 2019 issue of Premier Pulse.