Detroit Medical Center First in Midwest to Use New Technology for Treating Coronary Artery Disease

DETROIT, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is the first in the Midwest to use a new, state-of-the-art system for treating Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

Drs. Theodore Schreiber, Mahir Elder, Amir Kaki and Antonious Attallah used the new, advanced crown at DMC Harper University Hospital on Thursday, February 13 to remove plaque build-up on the walls of a patient's coronary arteries, the most common cause of life-threatening heart disease, and death in men and women in the United States.

Dr. Attallah was the first operator with the team to use this device after FDA approval in the entire Midwest region.

"We have not had much advancement in the field of coronary atherectomy since we only had a single device that we worked with, a rotablator. Now, with the CSI coronary atherectomy, we are bringing in novel technology and new creative ways of treating severely calcified arteries," said Dr. Attallah. "The ease of use, as well as the versatility of the device to shave off calcium both forward and backwards makes it very attractive. Overall, the device is a huge step forward towards treating such tough lesions and so far, we are encouraged by the results we have seen."

The Diamondback 360® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS) is an eccentrically mounted 1.25-millimeter diamond-coated crown that sands away calcium in severely calcified coronary arteries, enabling stent deployment. As the crown rotates and orbit increases, centrifugal force presses the crown against the lesion, reducing arterial calcium, while healthy tissue flexes away.

"The DMC Cardiovascular Institute strives to be at the leading edge of innovative cardiac care, and was selected to use this new technology based on studies of its safety and effectiveness in treating severely calcified coronary lesions. Better tools for these difficult-to-treat blockages could mean major differences in outcomes for our patients," said Dr. Schreiber, president of the DMC Cardiovascular Institute and new DMC Heart Hospital opening in August.

The Diamondback 360® Coronary OAS uses a patented combination of differential sanding and centrifugal force to reduce arterial calcium that can cause complications when treating Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), a life-threatening condition. Arterial calcium is a common occurrence and can lead to significant complications, with moderate to severe arterial calcium present in nearly 40 percent of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention in the U.S.

About the Detroit Medical Center

The Detroit Medical Center operates DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan with nine specialties centers, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, DMC Harper University Hospital, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, DMC Hutzel Women's Hospital, DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan with more than 30 outpatient locations, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, DMC Surgery Hospital, and DMC Cardiovascular Institute with new heart hospital coming in 2014. Detroit Medical Center is proud to be the official Healthcare Services Provider of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Grand Prix and the Detroit Free Press Marathon, with six DMC Sports Medicine clinics and Sports Performance Academy locations.

For more information, visit www.dmc.org. "Like" DMC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dmcheals, follow DMC on Twitter at @dmc_heals or visit the DMC YouTube page at www.youtube.com/DetroitMedicalCenter.

About Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn., is a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for treating vascular and coronary disease. The company's Orbital Atherectomy Systems treat calcified and fibrotic plaque in arterial vessels throughout the leg and heart in a few minutes of treatment time, and address many of the limitations associated with existing surgical, catheter and pharmacological treatment alternatives. The U.S. FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the use of the first Diamondback Orbital Atherectomy System in August 2007. To date, over 125,000 of CSI's devices have been sold to leading institutions across the United States.

SOURCE Detroit Medical Center