Bringing New, Lifesaving Procedures to Siouxland

Here are some of the recent medical firsts for Sioux City that took place at Mercy Heart Center.

Biventricular pacemaker
This type of pacemaker is the first mechanical device of its type approved by the government for treatment of symptoms associated with congestive heart failure. In many heart failure patients, the walls of the heart’s left ventricle – the main pumping chamber – are no longer synchronized with the right ventricle and do not pump together as they normally would. The biventricular pacemaker allows the heart to pump in synchronized fashion, enabling the heart to pump blood more efficiently.

Abdominal aortic stent graft
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a weakened area in the wall of the abdominal aorta – the main artery that provides blood to the lower body. Left untreated, an aneurysm may expand and rupture, causing a sudden and possibly fatal loss of blood. The stent graft, which is inserted into the abdominal aorta through two small incisions in the patient’s groin, allows blood to flow through the stent and avoids the aneurysm. Before the use of aortic stents, the standard treatment for an abdominal aneurysm involved a major operation with a large incision, a seven- to 10-day hospital stay and a two- to three-month recovery. After an aortic stent graft, the patient leaves the hospital after one or two days and is able to resume his or her normal routine in a very short time.

Transmyocardial revascularization
For patients with severe angina (chest pain) who aren’t candidates for bypass surgery or angioplasty, the heart surgeon uses a laser to create tiny channels in the heart muscle. During a typical procedure, approximately 20 to 45 channels the size of a standard sewing needle are made in the muscle. The new channels allow fresh blood to flow into the heart wall. Over time, the channels promote growth of new blood vessels. Angina subsides with the improved blood and oxygen supply to the heart.

Endoscopic vein harvesting
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery may actually include two surgical procedures. Primarily, bypass surgery involves using a healthy blood vessel to bypass a damaged or blocked heart artery. The other surgical procedure is the actual removal of a blood vessel (usually from the patient’s leg), which the surgeon uses to construct the bypass. New technology now allows the surgeon to remove the vein through endoscopic small incision surgery – instead of making a large incision that runs almost the entire length of the patient’s leg. Endoscopic vein harvesting reduces muscle and tissue damage and leaves less scarring.

Coronary brachytherapy
Coronary brachytherapy prevents restenosis, the re-narrowing of coronary arteries after they have been opened by angioplasty and the placement of a stent. Brachytherapy is performed immediately after an angioplasty procedure and the placement of a stent (a small mesh cylinder inserted inside the artery to hold it open). During the procedure, tiny radioactive seeds are inserted for approximately three to five minutes inside the artery and then removed. The radiation deters the growth of scar tissue in and around the stent. Scar tissue growth often causes restenosis of the artery, reducing or blocking blood flow and thus putting the individual at risk of angina or a heart attack.

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