Heart attack is the leading cause of death in Georgia, according to the American Heart Association. To save more lives, Wellstar provides advanced heart care services, ranging from minimally invasive procedures to open heart surgery. The health system recently expanded its offerings to bring an advanced technology called rotational atherectomy to more people in our community. The tool our physicians use for this procedure is called a Rotablator, which has a small but mighty diamond tip.
Who rotational atherectomy helps
Wellstar has offered percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), formerly known as angioplasty, for a number of years. This procedure helps treat the main cause of heart attacks—the build-up of cholesterol filled plaque within a coronary artery. The build-up decreases blood flow and oxygen to the heart. By opening the artery, blood and oxygen can move freely once again.
The benefits of having a PCI typically include fewer complications, faster recovery time and shorter hospital stays.
Not everyone is a candidate for PCI, especially when the blockage is heavily calcified. But rotational atherectomy changes that.
“For heavily calcified coronary blockages, rotational atherectomy works as a drill to decrease the bulk of calcium,” said Wellstar interventional cardiologist Dr. Omer Mirza.
This technology makes non-surgical heart attack treatment available to people with more complex blockages that could not typically be cleared with balloon angioplasty.
Rotational atherectomy has been available at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, and now we have expanded availability recently to Wellstar Cobb Medical Center.
“By expanding Wellstar Cobb’s technology, we can offer more comprehensive care for the patient and prevent transfers and subsequent delays to patient care,” Dr. Mirza said.
How rotational atherectomy works
At Wellstar, a rotational atherectomy is performed using a Rotablator, a small, diamond-tipped tool. This revolving instrument is inserted into the blocked artery using a catheter while a patient is under local anesthesia.
When the interventional cardiologist guides the Rotablator to the blockage, it begins to rotate, going as fast as 190,000 rpm. It gently breaks apart the blockage, making the plaque particles small enough to pass safely through the bloodstream.
Stents are then placed in the artery to widen it so blood can flow through. This procedure can improve blood flow and heart function within minutes.
Effective treatment with advanced technology
Studies indicate that rotational atherectomy results in high procedural success rates.
Giving patients the ability to resume normal activities within a few days, the recovery time for this procedure is significantly less than open heart surgery. Patients undergoing a rotational atherectomy typically spend one night in the hospital.
Learn more about interventional cardiology at Wellstar or find a specialist near you.
A Diamond-Cut Heart
Rotational atherectomy expands non-surgical heart attack care options
Published on February 22, 2024
Last updated 10:06 AM February 22, 2024
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John Elliott was a builder who enjoyed meeting with clients and planning their future homes. But the effects of Parkinson’s disease made it hard for him to meet with clients and live his life. Then he found a new sense of hope thanks to the Wellstar Parkinson’s and Tremors Program and a procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS). His experience is a powerful testament to the value of comprehensive care and how his neurologists, functional neurosurgeon and nurse navigator helped him rebuild his life.
Symptoms that were hard to shake
John has been building custom homes in Marietta for 45 years—a career defined by personal relationships with his clients. He loves spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and bushhogging the multi-generational family farm.
But in 2015, John’s hands began to shake. A former client and friend who was a retired neurologist recommended he see Dr. Thomas Holmes, a Wellstar neurologist.
A DaTscan, a type of nuclear imaging test that takes images of the brain, helped Dr. Holmes see a loss in John’s dopamine-producing neurons, which indicates Parkinson’s disease. The progressive neurological disorder affects a person’s motor functions and movements.
At first, medication helped. But years after his diagnosis, John’s medications were barely effective.
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