COLUMBIA, Tenn.— Maury Regional Medical Center (MRMC) recently became one of the first in Tennessee to offer a new treatment option for patients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD). On November 4, interventional cardiologists Fathi Ali, M.D., and Kevin Maquiling, M.D., began utilizing St. Jude Medical’s ILUMIEN Optis™ PCI Optimization System.
The ILUMIEN Optis™ system is the first and only integrated diagnostic technology that combines 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) technologies on one system. By using the combined system, physicians at MRMC now gain advanced physiological and anatomical insights that can improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
“It adds another dimension to the existing coronary angiography by allowing us to look at the arteries from within, hence helping to individualize lesion assessment and treatment including placement of stents,” said Ali.
“The ILUMIEN Optis™ system allows us to have the information we need in one place and helps us accurately diagnose and optimize therapy for our patients,” added Maquiling. “It is a great tool to optimize treatment of coronary disease by revealing which blockage needs treatment and how to treat it.”
With the integration of these two technologies, Maury Regional physicians can identify the precise measurement and dimensions of any narrowings responsible for obstructing blood flow to the patient’s heart, as well as determine vessel size and structure. FFR technology is used to determine the severity of blood flow blockages in coronary arteries allowing physicians to better identify specific narrowings. OCT technology is used to visualize and measure important vessel characteristics used in guiding stent selection and deployment as well as providing post-stenting information to help ensure the procedure is successful.
Patients with CAD experience decreased oxygen delivery to the heart because of plaque or cholesterol build-up inside arteries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CAD is the most common form of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 people annually.
