St. Mary Medical Center Now Offering Innovative TCAR Procedure to Treat Carotid Artery Disease
Langhorne,
Pa. – (April 25, 2023) – St. Mary Cardiothoracic
Vascular Surgery Associates at St. Mary Medical Center has added an innovative,
minimally invasive procedure to treat carotid artery disease and prevent future
strokes. Called TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR), the procedure is
a clinically proven and minimally invasive approach for patients who need carotid
artery treatment.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United
States has a stroke. Worldwide, nearly 5 million people die from a stroke, and
another 5 million are left permanently disabled every year. Carotid artery
disease is a form of atherosclerosis, or a build-up of plaque, in the two main
arteries in the neck that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain. If left
untreated, carotid artery disease can often lead to stroke. With up to one-third of strokes caused by carotid artery
disease, St. Mary Cardiothoracic
Vascular Surgery Associates offer patients minimally invasive options
such as TCAR to prevent future strokes with a faster recovery time and an
increased chance of being discharged to home.
“TCAR
is an important option in the fight against stroke and is now available to all
eligible patients, regardless of their surgical risk status. Not only is TCAR
less invasive than open surgery, but there is also less chance of heart attack
and nerve injury,” said Maxim Gluhovsky, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at St.
Mary Medical Center and a member of the St. Mary Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery Associates team. “Because
of its low stroke risk and faster patient recovery, I believe TCAR represents
the future of the carotid artery surgical intervention for a significant subset
of patients with a severe carotid artery stenosis.”
TCAR
is unique in that blood flow is temporarily reversed during the procedure so
that any small bits of plaque that may break off are diverted away from the
brain, preventing a stroke from happening. A stent is then placed inside the
artery to stabilize the plaque, minimizing the risk of a future stroke.
Prior
to TCAR, the main treatment option for severe carotid artery disease was an
open surgical procedure called carotid endarterectomy (CEA). CEA removes plaque
from inside the carotid artery to restore normal blood flow to the brain, but
the large incision leaves a visible scar the length of the neck and carries
risks of surgical complications, including bleeding, infection, heart attack,
and cranial nerve injuries that can cause issues with swallowing, speaking and
sensation in the face.
Over
40,000 TCAR procedures have been performed worldwide through clinical trial and
commercial use. TCAR has been studied extensively, and the clinical data have
been excellent.
To learn more about TCAR and vascular
services at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, visit https://www.trinityhealthma.org/find-a-service-or-specialty/heart-and-vascular/vascular-surgery/. To schedule an appointment with St. Mary Cardiothoracic Vascular
Surgery Associates, call 215-752-3330.
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