Cardiac Interventional Procedures

Advanced Heart & Vascular Care

Rotoblader

An atherectomy is an invasive cardiology interventional procedure used to remove plaque that has developed in the coronary arteries. The procedure utilizes the techniques of cardiac catheterization to deliver a catheter to the affected coronary artery. A device called a Rotoblader, which "borrows" its way through the plaque, is an effective atherectomy technique.

Using a special catheter inserted into the coronary artery, the rotoblader cuts its way into the plaque with a diamond tipped head, pulverizing it into microscopic pieces that float downstream and are disposed of by your body. The technique is most effective in calcified plaque or soft-stone consistency. There are several variants on the atherectomy (rotoblader) procedure. These procedures are named by the type of cutting device that is at the tip of the catheter such as rotational, directional and extraction.