February 19, 2018 — The Detroit Medical Center’s (DMC) interventional cardiology team at Heart Hospital recently became the first in Michigan to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option for vessels that are difficult to stent because of the size and intricacy.
Tamam Mohamad, M.D., chief of cardiology at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, treated 60-year-old Haila Alamri, the mother of nine children and an armful of grandchildren, who was experiencing angina, with pressure in her chest, after walking short distances. The symptoms caused her a lot of fear and anxiety and greatly affected her quality of life.
Mohamad completed the procedure guiding the newly U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved EluNIR stent through a complex, circuitous course of blood vessels to reach and open a main artery that was 90 percent blocked. The three-hour procedure brought the blockage to 0 percent, and Friday, Haila Alamri went home the next day.
The EluNIR drug-eluting stent has the narrowest strut width of any FDA-approved stent currently available in the U.S. This low-profile stent, with radiopaque spring tip, makes it easier to maneuver in heavily calcified or intricately curved blood vessels.
“At the DMC, we strive to provide our patients with the newest treatment options to best serve their cardiac needs,” said Mohamad. “It’s the same kind of care I would provide for my own family.”
Mahir Elder, M.D., director of endovascular medicine at the DMC Heart Hospital, added, “The DMC Cardiovascular team's goal is to stay on the forefront of technology. As leading physicians in the field, we strive to bring the latest and greatest technology and innovation to the metro Detroit community.”
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, each day about 2,200 Americans die from cardiovascular disease, about one person every 40 seconds.
During Heart Month, the DMC Cardiovascular team recommends patients seek medical attention immediately if they are experiencing any of the following common symptoms of a heart attack:
- Severe pressure, fullness, squeezing, pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes;
- Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulders, neck, arms or jaw;
- Chest pain that gets worse;
- Chest pain that does not get better with rest or by taking nitroglycerin;
- Chest pain that happens along with any of these symptoms:
- Sweating, cool, clammy skin, or paleness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or fainting
- Unexplained weakness or fatigue
- Rapid or irregular pulse
Although chest pain is the key warning sign of a heart attack, it may be confused with other conditions. These include indigestion, pleurisy, pneumonia, tenderness of the cartilage that attaches the front of the ribs to the breastbone, and heartburn.
For more information: www.dmc.org
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