| 2008 marked another first for Hays Medical | | | | hospital saw a need to provide this technology |
| Center's DeBakey Heart Institute. | | | | in-house, rather than sending patients away, |
| Laser surgery was used to increase blood flow to | | | | Hedlund said. |
| a patient's heart, thus reducing the amount of | | | | "The hospital felt that it was a worthy |
| chronic chest pain he had experienced. | | | | investment," Hedlund said. "With our program |
| "This is one more means by which we can | | | | growing and more patients coming to us from the |
| alleviate that chest pain and let them resume their | | | | northwest part of the state, we just feel like |
| normal activities," said Perfusionist Kelly Hedlund. | | | | we're going to have plenty of opportunities to use |
| HMC purchased the high-tech equipment in June, | | | | this." |
| with the realization that the option of laser | | | | Benton, who had previous experience with the |
| surgery could benefit some current patients, he | | | | technology at another hospital, said the July 11 |
| said. | | | | procedure went very well. |
| This transmyocardial revascularization, or TMR, | | | | The patient was home in a week and is |
| technology isn't for everyone, however. | | | | recovering nicely, he said. |
| The treatment, for now, will be used solely on | | | | Another benefit of the procedure is that burning |
| patients whose arteries are not strong enough to | | | | the tiny holes in the muscle creates inflammation, |
| withstand the more traditional options of bypass | | | | which draws additional blood to the organ, Benton |
| or balloon surgery. | | | | said. |
| "Generally, patients have exhausted all other | | | | This also could help make the technology a viable |
| means of treatment for their chest pains," | | | | procedure well into the future -- research is |
| Hedlund said. "This would be perhaps the last type | | | | underway to determine the feasibility of using |
| of treatment we could try to make their chest | | | | stem cells to strengthen the heart muscle. |
| pain go away." | | | | Studies suggest that stem cells are most likely to |
| Hedlund estimated that about 10 percent of | | | | attach to the heart muscle in areas of |
| patients could benefit from this machine. | | | | inflammation, Benton said. |
| It also is often used to supplement a bypass | | | | If approved, this procedure could increase heart |
| surgery, as was the case earlier this month. | | | | muscle in patients battling congestive heart failure |
| Surgeon Gary Benton fixed the arteries he could, | | | | and other diseases, he said. |
| and the technology was used to increase blood | | | | Because HMC already is using the machine, it also |
| flow to other damaged areas of the heart. | | | | would put HMC near the top of the list to begin |
| The laser is used to burn tiny holes from outside | | | | implementing such a procedure, he said. |
| the muscle into the chamber. These holes -- | | | | "We're pretty excited about it," Benton said. "It's |
| comparable in size to a human hair -- serve as | | | | not approved yet, but it's on the way." |
| channels through which blood can flow to the | | | | But even as a stand-alone procedure, the |
| heart, Hedlund said. | | | | equipment will undoubtedly offer benefits to local |
| Approved in 1999, the surgery has long been | | | | patients, he said. |
| offered in larger cities, such as Wichita and | | | | "The administration here has been excellent about |
| Kansas City. | | | | being approached about these new technologies |
| HMC currently is one of only two hospitals in | | | | and getting them in," Benton said. "They spur us |
| Kansas using this technology | | | | on to stay on the cutting edge, and that's what |
| As HMC's cardiac care continues to expand, the | | | | we intend to do. |