Rotational atherectomy with a new device: initial clinical experience.

The Bard Atherectomy Catheter is a new rotational atherectomy device that consists of a flexible, hollow, thin-walled cutting catheter that, while rotated at 1,500 revolutions per minute, is advanced across the lesion over a special spiral guidewire system. We report the initial clinical experience with this device in 20 peripheral lesions in ten patients. The majority of patients were treated for limb salvage.

Coronary artery flow monitoring following coronary interventions.

Coronary guidewires with ultrasound transducer tips are commercially available and are appropriately sized for use in coronary interventions. These guidewires permit monitoring of coronary flow before, during and after the interventions. The measured flow signal contains valuable information regarding the quality and the stability of the final result.