St. Luke’s Performs First Coronary Atherectomy

NEWBURGH – Adding another cutting-edge procedure to its growing list of services, Dr. Anthony Patrello, Medical Director of the St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, recently performed the hospital’s first atherectomy to treat a patient suffering from coronary artery blockage.

Dr. Patrello and the SLCH Cardiac Cath Lab team performed the complex procedure utilizing the CSI Diamondback 360 Orbital Atherectomy System, which features a high-speed rotational crown that is coated with microscopic diamond particles. The orbital motion of the crown removes plaque from a diseased artery by sanding it down into tiny pieces.

“Our initial procedure went remarkably well and resulted in the patient being discharged home the very next day,” Dr. Patrello said. “This technology provides us with a tool to to treat severely calcified plaque build-up with a minimally-invasive procedure. Atherectomy allows for catheter-based stenting of coronary lesions that would otherwise require open-heart bypass surgery.”

Stenting severe calcification in coronary blood vessels is often difficult because of the inability to fully dilate the balloon used prior to the placement of the stent. A stent that cannot be fully expanded increases the risk of clotting around the stent (thrombosis) and the affected area narrowing again after the treatment (restenosis). Orbital atherectomy allows for these calcifications to be drilled away before placing the stent, which can provide better post-procedure outcomes.

The Cardiovascular Institute at St. Luke’s Cornwall is committed to maintaining heart health by providing quality care with coordinated follow-up appointments and communication between referring physicians, cardiologists and the interventional cardiologists. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It claims more than 450,000 lives each year. More than one-third of all Americans have heart disease, transcending age, race and socioeconomic status.