Three interventional cardiologists with Sutherland Cardiology – Dwight Dishmon, MD;  Shadwan Alsafwah, MD; and Rami Khouzam, MD – have begun offering  a new minimally-invasive procedure to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the upper leg, a condition associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Recently approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloons (DCB) is a new type of medical device used to treat PAD in the upper legs once medical management has failed.

Drug-coated balloons are designed to help restore blood flow by reopening blocked arteries and delivering a medication to the artery wall that clinical studies have shown helps keep the artery open longer than other available therapies. During the procedure, an inflated balloon pushes the plaque away to create a channel for blood flow and the medication on the balloon surface is absorbed into the artery wall. The balloon is then removed with only the medication left behind.

“What many people don’t realize is that PAD in the legs is often connected to health conditions in other parts of the body, especially in the heart,” said Dr. Dishmon. “With drug-coated balloons, we now have a way to more effectively treat PAD.”

Affecting an estimated eight to 12 million people in the U.S., PAD is a debilitating disease that occurs when arteries become narrowed or blocked by plaque build-up, restricting blood flow.