This new technology simply saved my legs
“Coming from a family of twenty kids, I was use to being active and walking outdoors. Then in 1998, my life turned upside down as I had a massive heart attack that stopped me in my tracks,” recalls Karen Nail.
At the time Karen lived in Illinois and the closest cardiologist was 97 miles away. Her brother told her of a cardiologist in Moberly and convinced her to move here. In 2005 Karen moved to Moberly and began doctoring with Ahmed Habib, MD, which she states, “Has been one of the best things that I ever did for myself”.
Ahmed Habib, MD is a board certified cardiologist and a member of the medical staff at Moberly Regional Medical Center, and on faculty at the University Hospital in Columbia. He has been practicing in Moberly since 1995. Lately, Dr. Habib has been using an innovative new device for patients like Karen who have 100% blocked arteries in their legs. In fact, Dr. Habib is the only physician in a 150 mile radius of Moberly who is using the new CROSSER Catheter equipment. According to Dr. Habib, “The statistics for Peripheral Arterial Disease are very sobering.”
- PAD affects >12 million people in the US.
- 79% of people with PAD are undiagnosed.
- 1 out of 3 diabetics will have PAD.
- Risk for amputation with patients having PAD and diabetes is 40 times higher
than a non-diabetic.
- There are over 150,000 amputations performed annually.
The CROSSER Catheter is a 1 mm diameter device that is positioned inside the artery at the start of the blockage or occlusion. The CROSSER Catheter is then energized which utilizes high-frequency, mechanical vibration to pass through the blockage and break it up. Once the CROSSER Catheter tunnels through the blockage, physician specialists like Dr. Habib can then perform standard balloon angioplasty, stent placement, or atherectomy to treat the patient.
“I use the new CROSSER Catheter technology as a frontline therapy for my patients with CTOs (Chronic Total Occlusions),” says Ahmed Habib, MD. “It allows me to quickly get through the blockage and begin treatment on my patients. It works like a little jackhammer inside the artery, breaking up these old tough blocked arteries. The evidence is overwhelming on how this procedure can prevent a patient for undergoing bypass surgery or even amputation. The healing time is much faster and most patients are back doing their normal daily activities, with no pain, the very next day.”
When Karen recently began experiencing extreme pain when walking and a burning sensation in first one and then the other leg; it was obvious she had to find some relief and find it fast. And, with her past medical history she knew she shouldn’t put off going to the doctor. After further testing Dr. Habib discovered that the blood flow in her legs had all but stopped. “Karen was a perfect candidate for the CROSSER Catheter,” says Dr. Habib. “We went in, cleaned the artery out, and today she is pain free.” Karen states, “I tell you what…I trust Dr. Habib one million percent. He knows what he is doing and he doesn’t take any chances with your health. I wish more people with leg pain would get tested for blocked arteries. The procedure was so simple and I’m convinced that it saved my legs.”
Moberly Regional Medical Center is pleased to have specialists like Dr. Habib on staff who offer patients such great new alternatives to traditional treatments using state of the art technology. In 2010 MRMC will launch a 1.8 million dollar expansion of their Heart and Vascular Center in hopes of helping more people like Karen Nail enjoy a pain-free lifestyle.
For more information on the CROSSER Catheter by FlowCardia, Inc, go to www.flowcardia.com or call Ahmed Habib, MD with Heartland Medical Associates of Moberly at 660-263-2400.
For more information on services available at Moberly Regional Medical Center, go to www.moberlyhospital.com.