Heart and Vascular Institute Offers Advanced Care for Coronary Artery Disease

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute offers state-of-the-art treatment for people who have significant blockages in their coronary arteries. Some of these blockages can be extremely difficult to treat. This challenging minimally invasive procedure is typically referred to as complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

In this procedure, an interventional cardiologist uses catheters, balloons and other tools to open the blockages. Complex PCI may be a viable option without the need for open-heart surgery if the artery is tightly blocked, more than one artery is involved or there is a great deal of calcium in the arteries.

According to Chirdeep Patel, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute who performs complex PCI, only a few interventional cardiologists take specific interest in the treatment of these difficult blockages. Without complex PCI, individuals often suffer with cardiac symptoms like unrelenting angina or be forced to consider open-heart surgery.

“But open-heart surgery is not suitable for every patient,” Dr. Patel says. “Complex PCI offers patients hope without having to undergo open-heart surgery.”

Dr. Patel has expertise in treating chronic total occlusions (CTOs) – 100 percent blockages of the arteries in the heart.

As such, the Arineta CT scanner can be used to assist. “Historically, they have been very difficult to open up,” Dr. Patel says, noting that at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, he has the time and the leading-edge equipment he needs to focus on these blockages. 

“We use specialty wires, specialty balloon catheters and specialty atherorectomy catheters,” he explains. Interventional cardiologists who don’t focus on complex PCI might try treating these blockages with medications with variable, often inadequate, degree of success, according to Dr. Patel.

“CTOs are notorious for being undertreated because of lack of skill set on the part of the interventional cardiologist,” he says. “But patients often have more options than they’ve been led to believe.”

Physicians should refer people who have angina, significant blockages or congestive heart failure due to blockages to be evaluated for possible complex PCI.

“Generally speaking, I tell patients that technology is so good these days that if another interventional cardiologist told them their blockage cannot be opened up, it’s always worth getting a second opinion,” Dr. Patel says. “They should seek a consultation with an interventional cardiologist like me who focuses on complex PCI.”

Dr. Patel says that many people who undergo complex PCI have excellent outcomes.

“I have a drawer full of ‘thank-you’ cards from patients who are very, very thankful that we were able to perform these procedures for them,” he says. “They are able to do all the things that they wouldn’t be able to do if we didn’t open up these blockages.”