05 Apr 2013, BioSpectrum Bureau , BioSpectrum
Singapore: Global medical device company St Jude Medical launched Ilumien PCI Optimization System as a treatment option for patients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) in India. The Ilumien system is the first and only integrated diagnostic technology that combines optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) technologies together in one platform helping physicians better identify and make treatment decisions for blood flow blockages in the heart.
FFR technology is used to determine the severity of blood flow blockages in coronary arteries, allowing physicians to better identify specific narrowing. Meanwhile, OCT technology is used to visualize and measure important vessel characteristics that are used in guiding stent selection and deployment. The technology also provides post-stenting information to help ensure the procedure was successful.
The Madras Medical Mission hospital located in Chennai, India, was the first center to use the Ilumien System in India in order to create a treatment plan for patients with CAD. Using the Ilumien System, physicians gain advanced physiological and anatomical insights to improve the diagnosis and treatment of CAD.
"The key to treating coronary artery disease is by knowing which blockage or blockages need treatment, and understanding how to best treat them," said Dr Mullasari Ajit Sankardas, director of cardiology at Madras Medical Mission. "The Ilumien system provides me with this critical information about the severity and location of blood flow blocks in one place to create a personalized treatment plan for each patient."
The Ilumien System allows for a customized plan unique to each patient, using the most beneficial treatment options that can range from medication, stenting or surgery, or a combination of therapies. With the integration of FFR and OCT technologies, physicians can identify the precise measurement and dimensions of culprit artery narrowings responsible for obstructing blood flow to a patient's heart, as well as determine vessel size and structure.