Dr. Faraz Sandhu, Interventional Cardiologist, San Juan Regional Heart Center
The AngioJet Ultra Thrombectomy System includes a catheter that is inserted into an artery or vein to extract a clot (or thrombus). This is especially useful in peripheral vessels to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVTs are clots that form in deep veins that can cause significant pain and swelling in the legs, and can be life threatening if the clot breaks free and travels to the lungs. “Being able to treat DVTs with this technology is an exciting new service we’ll be able to provide our patients and the community,” said Cardiology Service Line Director, Barbara Charles. “This method is more targeted, powerful, and effective than previous capabilities such as manually using a syringe.” The AngioJet can also be used to extract clots in the arteries of the heart that may be causing blocked or limited blood flow to the heart’s muscle.
“The AngioJet allows us to mechanically (as opposed to manually) remove a clot from a vein,” said Interventional Cardiologist, Dr. Faraz Sandhu. The AngioJet is a console that sits outside the body. A two-port catheter is inserted into the vein; one port introduces a high-velocity jet that sprays saline or clot-dissolving medication to break down the clot, the other port removes the saline along with the broken-down clot. “This vacuum affect effectively removes large-volume clots from heart arteries, bypass graphs, and arteries and veins in the legs such as a DVT, that we would otherwise have to remove manually,” said Dr. Sandhu. “This is more efficient, increases the success rate of the procedure, and shortens procedure time.”