A Salinas Valley Health interventional cardiologist made history on July 14, as one of the first two doctors in the country to perform an innovative stent procedure designed to improve patients' quality of life and extend their lives, SVH officials announced on July 18.
Dr. Jim Joye performed the first ever procedure—called percutaneous transmural arterial bypass, or PTAB, therapy—using what's been dubbed as the Detour System, an alternative to more invasive surgery. A covered stent is inserted into the leg to bypass a blockage in the femoral artery, allowing blood to flow freely.
The patient, 74-year-old Javier Lopez, couldn't walk a half a block without intense pain before the FDA-approved procedure. Four days later he walked alongside Joye and proclaimed that he felt great, according to a press release.
"I knew this treatment was my best chance at having a normal life again," Lopez said. "My disease didn't just affect me, it impacted my whole family. I'm very thankful for Dr. Joye."
Joye in fact was the person who came up with the idea for the procedure 20 years ago. "He dreamed of an innovative approach to treat complex peripheral arterial disease, known as PAD, with a non-invasive technique and specialized stent to bypass a blocked femoral artery and restore blood flow to a leg," the press release states. An estimated 8-12 million Americans suffer from PAD, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"It feels extraordinary," said Joye. "It's been my life's work and it took a lot of smart people to make this happen. I get emotional when I think of all the patients this will help live longer and better lives."
The Detour System usually only requires an overnight stay, as opposed to multiple days with six to eight weeks of recovery. Lopez went home the same day. Patients report seeing almost immediate pain relief.
The Detour System underwent years of global clinical trials and received FDA approval in June for commercial use in the U.S. SVH and the Cleveland Clinic were selected to begin a nationwide rollout.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.