When it comes to heart disease, Endeavor Health cardiologists combine expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional care.
Endeavor Health heart experts have extensive experience treating patients with limited options, including those with chronic total occlusion (CTO), or a 100 percent blocked coronary artery, which are difficult to treat without open heart surgery.
“One of the things that separates Endeavor Health from many other providers is that we do quite a bit of complex, high-risk coronary intervention,” said Mark Ricciardi, MD, cardiologist and Director of Interventional Cardiology and Structural Heart Disease Clinical and Research Programs at Endeavor Health. “These are typically blockages that historically have been very difficult to open up with every-day balloons and stents, but we have operators here who have the expertise and tools to successfully treat these high-risk interventions.”
AGENT™ Drug-Coated Balloon
Endeavor Health cardiologists are early adopters of new technologies and frequently participate in clinical trials.
For example, Endeavor Health participated in a clinical trial for the AGENT™ Drug-Coated Balloon, which used drug-coated balloons designed to prevent re-narrowing of arteries after a procedure.
The trial has been completed and the drug-coated coronary balloon has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Clearing calcified blockages
Endeavor Health cardiologists are comfortable and skilled in the field of high-risk coronary interventions for patients with limited options.
Lasers, rotational atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy balloons are all devices and procedures used to open heavily calcified or difficult arteries before implanting a stent. Removing the plaque first allows the artery to accommodate the stent and for the stent to fully expand.
Both lasers and rotational atherectomy, a rotating device that shaves away plaque, offer ways to clear away calcified plaque before inserting a stent.
Intravascular lithotripsy balloons use the same technology that urologists use to break up kidney stones. The lithotripsy balloon can be placed in coronary arteries to break up the calcium in the artery and place a stent.
Clinical trials
Endeavor Health is currently enrolling in a clinical trial that examines the use of a mechanical circulatory pump to support the heart while surgeons work on an artery. Having heart support during a procedure may improve outcomes, Dr. Ricciardi said.
“Endeavor Health is very involved in these more complex interventions for patients that don’t have as many treatment options,” Dr. Ricciardi said. “We focus on patients who have been turned down for bypass because they are too high risk for open heart surgery or even a regular stent procedure. With our vast experience with these newer tools, we’re able to safely and effectively treat these patients.”
The Endeavor Health Research Institute has more than 550 active clinical trials and more than 700 clinical research studies in areas ranging from cardiology, oncology, genetics and infectious disease to patient quality, safety and experience.
At the newly-opened Endeavor Heath Cardiovascular Institute at Glenbrook Hospital, patients can access cutting-edge, comprehensive heart care as well as innovative clinical trials and research in a single landing place, from diagnosis to treatment.
You can search for clinical trials on the Endeavor Health Clinical Trials website. Search ongoing trials by category or keyword for a specific condition or disease. For general questions about participating in a clinical trial at Endeavor Health, email clinicaltrials [at] northshore.org (clinicaltrials[at]northshore[dot]org).
