Lufkin Hospital Introduces New Technology for Cardiac Care

Just a couple weeks after it was announced that  Dr. Erica Fidone and Dr. Justin Price brought a first to Lufkin and Woodland Heights, utilizing a new treatment for pulmonary embolism (PE), the hospital has announced another first for the region.

Woodland Heights Medical Center announced the addition of new technology to utilize a new laser system to treat complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease in patients.

Dr. Vivek Mangla, Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at Woodland Heights along with Dr. Inder Singh, Interventional Cardiologist, were the first at Woodland Heights to utilize the technology.

The treatment strategy utilizes interventional technology to open arteries blocked by plaque. “In the appropriate clinical setting, laser atherectomy is an advanced technique, which can be utilized to clear/clean plaque within blood vessels of the heart and legs,” says Dr. Singh.

“One of the patients we treated with the new laser system had 90% blockage of the previous stent in their artery, which we were able to treat with the laser system to eliminate the plaque, as opposed to a more invasive procedure,” states Dr. Mangla.

With its safe and easy-to-use technology, the system provides laser-accurate control with none of the moving parts or cutting blades of competing atherectomy catheters.

The facility continues to invest in technology to benefit the patients it serves. “We are excited to add this new technology to the already comprehensive cardiovascular care offered at Woodland Heights and look forward to helping even more people in the deep East Texas community,” Dr. Singh says.