𝗗𝗿. 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮-𝗧𝘂𝗴𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴, 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 at TMC Iloilo, shares that the hospital now offers an advanced approach to managing heart disease: 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴-𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗖𝗕) 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘆, a “𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀” procedure that treats narrowed or blocked arteries without the need for a metal stent.
Unlike traditional angioplasty, DCB angioplasty uses a 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆, gradually dissolving blockages and cholesterol plaque. One of its biggest advantages? 𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀—a serious complication where blood clots form inside a coronary stent.
As the 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘀, TMC Iloilo has been at the forefront of cardiac innovation, 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴-𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗮𝗯 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱—making it the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲.
The indications for DCB angioplasty have widened significantly. Originally used as a secondary treatment for re-stenosis of previously implanted stents and in smaller vessels where stents cannot fit, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲-𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Because of its “𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱” 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀.
The procedure is particularly 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, those 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆, and 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.
Here’s the best part: 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴-𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲. For patients with severe coronary disease who need coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 𝗧𝗠𝗖 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗭-𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁, making it available at a very low cost and significantly reducing out-of-pocket expenses, especially for indigent patients.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭?
𝗧𝗠𝗖 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲. For heart patients in Iloilo, this means 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 without having to travel to Manila or other major cities—𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵