No surgery under Japanese method to remove arteries blockage

Dr Domodaran, senior interventional cardiologist at Kauvery Hospital, is implied to have said the special wires, catheters and balloons, available exclusively in Japan, can be used to perform  angioplasty on a patient with chronic total occlusion, or 100% blocked artery.

As reported by TOI, in the procedure, the wire penetrates the block, the balloon catheter is pushed over the guide wire and into the blockage. When the balloon is inflated, it opens the block. One or more stents are then inserted to keep the artery open.

"The challenge in this procedure is penetrating the block. It requires specialised skill," Dr Rao said.

In a bypass surgery, doctors open the chest to operate. The heart is stopped until surgery is done. During the surgery, a blood vessel from another part of the patient's body is taken and grafted as an alternative path for blood flow. The surgery leaves a long ugly scar and needs long hospital stay and recovery time. "The Japanese believe the soul departs if the chest is opened. So, they found an alternative method to treat patients with 100% block," said Dr Surya Prakash Rao, director, Indo-Japanese Chronic Total Occlusion Club (IJCTO). "This procedure reduces hospital stay and recovery time. The patient can get back to routine in 2-3 days."

The procedure is not new to India and had been performed on patients for almost a decade, doctors said. However, the procedure has been fine-tuned over the years and through IJCTO, the technique is being shared to others doctors.