Laser Treatment

March 8, 2005

PHYSICIANS ADOPT UNIQUE LASER TREATMENT AS A NEW TOOL IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AMPUTATION

Midland Memorial Hospital Among First in Country to Offer New Procedure

A new laser procedure being offered at Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH) may prevent many people from having to undergo lower limb amputations.

Amputation is a frequent “treatment” for people with totally obstructed leg arteries. Many people with this condition suffer from Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), which is the most severe form of Peripheral Arterial Disease and is common in people with diabetes.

CLI, the progressive accumulation of plaque and thrombus in the arteries of the leg, obstructs blood flow, which if left untreated, can lead to pain at rest, the development of foot ulcers, and the onset of limb loss. CLI affects one million people in the United States and, each year, nearly 100,000 of them have toe, foot, or leg amputations.

Midland Memorial Hospital has a new alternative in the fight against amputation. MMH is one of the first hospitals in the country to begin using a new excimer, or “cool” laser procedure called CLiRpath® (Cool Laser Revascularization for Peripheral Artery Therapy). This procedure treats total obstructions in leg arteries common in the most severe form of CLI.

CLiRpath, developed by Spectranetics Corp., vaporizes arterial blockages that cannot be crossed by standard guidewires (small, flexible wires used to position catheters) in leg arteries, restoring straight-line blood flow. Simply stated, CLiRpath restores straight-line blood flow. With restored blood flow, there may be a greater chance that wounds can heal, limbs can be saved, and patients’ psychological and physical well-being can be improved.

Physicians agree that the CLiRpath system will provide thousands of CLI sufferers with a new alternative in the fight against amputation.

“CLiRpath increases the likelihood of wound healing, and improves a patient’s quality of life,” said Dr. Russell Sawyer, who is performing the CLiRpath procedure at Midland Memorial Hospital. “It is one of the most technologically advanced treatments we have for CLI patients suffering from total occlusions.”