Cardiologists learn total occlusion technique

Apollo Hospitals hosted a fellowship programme on Angioplasty techniques for Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) for young cardiologists on Sunday. The workshop was conducted by eminent cardiologists and experts in CTO technique, Dr V Surya Prakasa Rao and Dr PLN Kapardhi, Sr Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, and was attended by over 25 young cardiologists from across the State.

The advanced minimally invasive CTO technique, a Japanese innovation, enables clearing of hard blocks through angioplasty, which would have otherwise required an open heart surgery. Conventionally cardiologists have been able to open up arteries with severe blockages even up to 90 to 95 per cent through non-surgical procedures like angioplasty and restore blood flow to the heart muscle.

However, Chronic Total Occlusion is a 100 per cent blockage of a coronary artery, existing for several months or years and open heart surgery has been the preferred treatment. The CTO intervention technique is the option for such blocks now.