Love relationship is a matter of the heart; nothing like the one ending in bliss, of course. What if it just gives way? Well, it was the latter which was the concern of eminent cardiologists from around the world at the 2-day Interventional Cardiology Summit 2007 held in Goa recently.
Cyril D’Cunha
The bad news was that there were nearly 278 million diabetics in the Asian region which had the maximum number of cardiac ailments, much more than in the west. Explained Dr. Brian Pinto (Director, Cathlab and Head of Cardiology, Holy Family Hospital), "The incidence of diabetes is very high amongst Indians. 50% of all coronary artery disease patients in this country suffer from diabetes. Also, due to the genetic background of our race, Indians tend to have long blockages in small arteries."
The good news, however, was the introduction of DES (Drug Eluting Stents), an indispensable choice for the patients, he stated. Besides diabetes, the other factors responsible for heart diseases were tobacco, hypertension, life-style and genetic pre-disposition, he said, and recommended proper diet and exercise.
Doctors deliberated on such Angioplasty-related topics as DES versus Bare Metal Stents (BMS), Stent Thrombosis and Bifurcation Stenosis. There was wide consensus that DES will continue to be the preferred mode of treatment, especially on Indian patients. However, more clinical data needed to be generated on DES to determine and define its future uses and that 2nd and 3rd generation stent technologies would address the problems arising out of the present technologies.
Another emerging technology was the Coronary Balloon Dilatation Catheter, DIOR, for treating in-stent restenosis and bifurcation and introduced to the doctors by Dr. Michael Orlowski (CEO, EuroCor GmbH). Data and statistics were presented on Magical, a bare metal (cobalt chromium) stent, with a balloon acting as a drug delivery device. This device is designed to counter the drawbacks of both BMS and DES. He disclosed that tests on a bio-degradable stent was being done and should be ready by 2009.
Dr. Pinto, Programme Director, demonstrated a much patient-friendly but difficult stenting procedure called the ’transradial technique,’ which is widely practiced in France and South East Asia. This method involves a stent being inserted through the wrist (instead of the groin) through the radial artery and hence, accelerating healing and helping avoid any major bleeding complications and trauma during the process.
The Summit, organised by The India International Forum of Cardiology, had renowned cardiac interventionists like Dr. Cindy Grines, Dr. Antonio Colombo, Dr. Nishit Choksi and Dr. Kirit Patel presenting papers on important interventional issues and demonstrated five live cases on Indian patients with EuroCor’s Taxcor stenting technology at the Apollo Victor Hospital.
Leading cardiologists from India, Dr. B.K. Goyal, Dr. Uday Khanolkar, Dr. Anand Rao and Dr. Haresh Mehta were also present for the discussions.
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