The Chronic Total Occlusion workshop was conducted in the presence of World Renowned Cardiologist, Dr. Maoto Habara, Cardiovascular Medicine, Toyohashi Heart Center, Japan. The workshop was attended by 100 Cardiologists in which the advanced techniques in Interventional Cardiology were discussed.
Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) occurs when the coronary artery is completely blocked with fatty deposits inside its walls for more than 3 months. It causes chest pain and breathlessness. These blocks are made up of hardened tissues that are difficult to cross using routine guide wires and balloon catheters. Unlike routine angioplasty, the Japanese have developed highly specialized wires, balloons and catheters that are specifically used for treating CTO.
Worldwide, CTO is considered as the last resort in cardiac intervention procedures. The success rate of an angioplasty procedure in such cases depends upon specialized training, experience and innovative devices, designed specifically for CTO. Apollo Hospitals group organized this live workshop to provide a forum for Cardiologists in India to get a hands-on experience on the sophisticated procedure, enabling them to save lives.
At the live workshop, Dr. Maoto Habara, Chief Physician Cardiovascular Medicine, Toyohashi Heart Center, Japan, demonstrated some specialized CTO techniques and emphasized, “Even 100% blockages can be treated with angioplasty. Patients with 100% block in the coronary artery are usually referred to undergo a bypass surgery but with angioplasty we can remove the blockage completely. This advanced CTO angioplasty procedure can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life, improve heart functions, reduce the requirement for subsequent bypass surgery and enhance the chances of long term survival. An additional benefit is that post-operational healing time is generally much shorter compared with open heart surgery.”
Dr. Anand Gnanaraj, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Ayanambakkam, said “Patients with CTO’s are usually referred to an open-heart surgery. In such cases, doctors open the chest to operate. During the surgery, the heart is stopped until surgery is done and a blood vessel from another part of the patient’s body is taken and grafted as an alternative path for blood flow. The surgery leaves a scar and needs long hospital stay and recovery time. We are privileged that Dr. Maoto Habara has come here to share his expertise and knowledge on the latest developments in Cardiology with us. This will definitely open up new avenues for treatments of patients at Apollo.”
Apollo Hospitals group was the pioneer in India to launch the first center dedicated to the field of Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) offering Angioplasty procedures for 100% blocked arteries. The CTO center has the best technology and the latest equipments like IVUS, a technology that is used in very few centers across the country to assist in CTO procedures. IVUS technology is the most powerful and safe tool to perform these complex procedures. Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Vanagaram, Chennai has performed many successful CTO procedures over the years as it offers technologies including IVUS cardiac catheterization suites, CT Coronary Angiography, Cardiac MRI and Coronary guide wires, micro-catheters, balloons and Intra Vascular Ultra Sound (IVUS) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).
