DIRECTIONAL CORONARY ATHERECTOMY - A NEW TREATMENT FOR CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

Background: Directional Coronary Atherectomy (DCA) was developed to ov ercome the deficiencies and limitations of conventional balloon angiop lasty Now with FDA approval, DCA has been proved to be a sate and effe ctive treatment alternative for coronary artery disease in a select gr oup of patients. Objective: To provide critical care nurses with a com prehensive overview of DCA and the associated nursing implications. Pa tients: Patients selected to receive DCA were those who showed evidenc e of myocardial ischemia (positive exercise stress test or symptoms), were free of significant peripheral vascular disease, and were candida tes for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Additional selection cri teria was based on the detailed coronary anatomy. Design/Setting: A re view of one direct experience of more than 200 patients treated with D CA in a university-affiliated hospital. Conclusion: DCA appears to be a valuable alternative for the treatment of select coronary lesions. D CA appears to have a low incidence of dissection and abrupt closure an d a restenosis rate slightly lower than conventional balloon angioplas ty.