Carotid artery stenting is a procedure in which your cardiologist inserts a slender, metal-mesh tube, called a stent, which expands inside your carotid artery to increase blood flow in areas blocked by plaque.

In atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, plaque builds up in the walls of your arteries as you age. Cholesterol, calcium, and fibrous tissue make up the plaque. As more plaque accumulates, your arteries can narrow and stiffen. Eventually, enough plaque may build up to reduce blood flow through your arteries, or cause blood clots or pieces of plaque to break free and to block the arteries in the brain beyond the plaque.

Before and after stent

The WATCHMAN Implant offers patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation an important alternative to long-term oral anticoagulant therapy. It is the only FDA-approved implant proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with AFib not caused by heart valve problems, who need an alternative to blood thinners. This one-time procedure is a small permanent fabric-covered implant designed to close the left upper chamber (left atrial appendage) in the heart in an effort to reduce the risk of stroke from harmful-sized blood clots leaving the LAA and entering the blood stream.

Blood thinners (anticoagulants) are very effective in lowering AFib stroke risk, and most people an take them for years without serious side effects. But for some, anticoagulants can be too risky due to bleeding complications or too difficult to tolerate because of side effects, for these patients there is an alternative: The WATCHMAN Implant. This permanent implant can reduce your risk of stroke as effectively as oral anticoagulants and can eliminate the need for regular blood tests, food and drink restrictions and bleeding risks that come with oral anticoagulant therapy.

WATCHMAN may be right for people who:

• Have Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) not caused by heart valve problems
• Have been recommended for blood thinning medications by their doctor.
• Can take warfarin (coumadin) but need an alternative to blood thinners for any one of these reasons:
  • • They have a history of major bleeding while taking blood thinners.
    • They have a medical condition, lifestyle or occupation that puts them at risk for major bleeding.
    • They have trouble staying wit hthe recommended blood clotting range (INR) or getting regular blood tests to confirm their INR, and cannot take another blood thinner besides warfarin.

   

  Does this describe you? If you think so, please contact our office for a consultation.

The Heart & Vascular Center of Arizona is now able to treat your Aortic Aneurysm Patients with the new Trivascular Ovation Prime Endograft.

The advantages of the Trivascular Ovation Prime Endograft include Unparalleled Clinical Data, Novel Technology, Percutaneous Procedure/No Incisions Necessary, Next Day Discharge, Early Ambulation (2-4 hours), Conscious Sedation and Custom Seal.

200,000 People are diagnosed with an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm each year, accounting for 15,000 deaths annually and is the third leading cause of death for men over the age of 60.

30 million Americans suffer from Varicose Veins. Varicose veins occur when the valves in the legs no longer function properly. This causes blood to pool in the legs. these veins are often raised above the skin and can look like twisted bulging cords. Varicose veins may cause pain, aching and discomfort in the legs. If left untreated varicose veins may progress to a more serious disease called Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). Without treatment, some people with CVI may experience symptoms that can be debilitating and can significantly impact quality of life, including leg or ankle swelling, leg fatigue, skin changes, rashes, ulcers, open wounds or sores.

Dr. Jason Klein is able to treat these veins with targeted endovenous therapy. This is a minimally invasive treatment using radiofrequency ablation or heat to seal off the affected vein so the blood gets re-routed to other veins.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a procedure for select patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve opening) who are not candidates for traditional open chest surgery or are high-risk operable candidates.

The TAVR procedure enables the placement of a balloon expandable aortic heart valve into the body via the catheter-based transfemoral delivery system. The TAVR procedure is designed to provide an alternative treatment to patients in whom the traditional open-heart surgery can not be performed.

A pacemaker is a small device that’s placed under the skin of your chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. Pacemakers can relieve some symptoms related to arrhythmias, such as fatigue (tiredness) and fainting. A pacemaker can help a person who has an abnormal heart rhythm resume a more active lifestyle.

A pacemaker consists of a battery, a computerized generator, and wires. The generator sends the electrical pulses that correct or set your heart rhythm, and the wires carry pulses to and from various chambers of your heart and the generator.

Pacemaker surgery is usually done in a hospital. The surgery takes just a few hours, but you will stay in the hospital overnight so your doctor can monitor your heart rhythm and make sure your pacemaker is working properly.  Problems from pacemaker surgery are rare. Most people can return to normal activities within a few days.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), or balloon angioplasty, is a procedure used to open narrowed coronary arteries. It is performed with a local anesthesia while the patient is awake. Patients whose angina has not been relieved by medications are generally the best candidates for PTCA. There are several other commonly used treatments for opening blocked arteries such as the Rotoblator procedure (tiny rotating blades) or Atherectomies (cutters) to cut away plaque buildup on the artery walls, or Stents (a little metal “scaffold”) that widens obstructed arteries.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole in the heart that didn’t close the way it should after birth. During fetal development, a small flap-like opening — the foramen ovale (foh-RAY-mun oh-VAY-lee) — is usually present between the right and left upper chambers of the heart. It normally closes within the first or second year of life. When the foramen ovale doesn’t close, it’s called a patent foramen ovale. With each heart beat or when a person with this defect creates pressure inside his or her chest – such as when coughing, sneezing, or straining during a bowel movement – the flap can open, and blood can flow in either direction directly between the right and left atrium. When blood moves directly from the right atrium to the left atrium, this blood bypasses the filtering system of the lungs (the lungs actually do dissolve tiny blood clots). If debris is present in the blood, such as small blood clots, it now passes through the left atrium and can lodge in the brain, causing a stroke, or another organ, such as the heart, eyes, or kidneys.