Heart patient Geraldine Leka gave two thumbs up after being awarded a “graduation” certificate from her Phase II cardiac rehabilitation at St. Mary Medical Center.
“I am feeling better than I have in years,” she says. “Even though I was having difficulty breathing while doing everyday tasks like getting dressed, I didn’t think my condition was that serious. Now I’m so glad I listened to my doctor.”
Leka is feeling great again after a new minimally-invasive procedure to treat a life-threatening condition. St. Mary Medical Center cardiologist Arif Khalil, MD, is among the first surgeons in the Chicago area to use the FDA-approved Diamondback 360® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS) to treat severely blocked coronary arteries.
“Over the years, I’ve had high blood pressure and occasional chest pains,” explains Leka. “After several medications failed, as well as a stress test, Dr. Khalil asked me to come in. It was a good thing I came in when I did. I had a 90 percent blockage in my heart,” she says.
“We used the Diamondback device to ‘sand away’ hardened plaque – the calcified matter that builds up on the inside walls of the blood vessels,” Khalil explains.
Diamondback 360® is a minimally-invasive procedure that saves time and reduces the patient’s risk for complications in comparison to bypass graft surgery, Khalil says.
“Almost the instant he was finished with the procedure, I felt 100 percent better,” says Leka after her overnight stay. “I’m out and about going shopping and volunteering again. And now that I have completed cardiac rehabilitation, I’m going to continue with Phase III. It helps me stay active and I’ve made so many new friends,” she says.
Learn more about the advanced heart procedures and technologies being used by Cardiovascular Surgeons at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System.
