Let there be Lightbox!

A new imaging system dramatically improves treatment for some individuals with peripheral artery disease

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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Doctors at Saint Peter’s University Hospital are the first in central New Jersey with a promising new weapon in the fight against peripheral artery disease, or PAD.

PAD is a common circulatory problem marked by impeded blood flow to the extremities, most often the feet and lower legs. The classic symptom of PAD is claudication (pain while walking), which can adversely affect quality of life. And one complication is skin ulcers, which if left untreated can lead to gangrene and place a person at risk for amputation. PAD is also associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and transient ischemic attack (“mini-stroke”).

Like stroke itself, PAD is a complication that can result from atherosclerosis, in which deposits of fats, cholesterol and other substances (also known as plaque) build up inside the arteries.

            Initial management of patients with PAD who suffer from claudication is often medications and exercise therapy. In patients who continue to have claudication or have wounds that are not healing, a procedure to open the blocked arteries is recommended. In approximately 40 percent of patients who suffer from PAD, the artery that supplies blood to the foot is totally occluded, which makes it difficult to achieve a successful, durable result. Navigating through these long occlusions without damaging the arteries themselves has been challenging.  But a new imaging system called Lightbox, which in central New Jersey is exclusive to Saint Peter’s University Hospital, offers physicians a clearer picture of the blocked arteries and allows them to operate more safely and effectively.

“It uses light waves coming from the tip of a catheter to help us see as it goes into the lesion,” says Stephan Haspel, R.N., manager of cardiac catheterization. “This allows us to stay within the lesion and away from good tissue.”

The system is manufactured by a company called Avinger. Bart Beasley, the company’s vice president of marketing, and Kevin Meehan, lumivascular program manager, say that Avinger forms close partnerships with the physicians and labs that purchase Lightbox. “Our goal is to collaborate with training the surgeons—and in getting the word out,” says Beasley. The company  trained Ramzan Zakir, M.D., an interventional  cardiologist who is the director of the peripheral vascular program  at Saint Peter’s, as it has more than 100 physicians at about 60 hospitals around the country.

“Based on clinical trials, we believe Lightbox offers patients the best treatment modality in crossing through difficult blockages,” says Meehan. Dr. Zakir agrees. He has already performed a number procedures using Lightbox since the hospital acquired the technology in December 2013. “Our success rate has been excellent,” says Dr. Zakir. “This tool is a real game changer.”

PAD Facts and Signs:

Do you know the symptoms of PAD?

Many people who have peripheral artery disease (PAD) don't have any symptoms. But those who do may experience:

• Pain, numbness, achiness or heaviness in the leg muscles when walking or climbing stairs.

• Weak or absent pulses in the legs or feet.

• Sores or wounds on the toes, feet, or legs that heal slowly, poorly, or not at all.

• A pale or bluish color to the skin.

• A lower temperature in one leg than the other leg.

• Poor nail growth on the toes and decreased hair growth on the legs.

• Erectile dysfunction, especially among men who have diabetes.

Source: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

About Saint Peter’s Healthcare System

Saint Peter’s Healthcare System Inc., parent company of the Saint Peter’s healthcare delivery system, is comprised of Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital, Saint Peter’s Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital, and Saint Peter’s Health and Management Services Corp., which oversees the system’s outpatient facilities. These include the CARES Surgicenter; New Brunswick Cardiac Cath Lab; the Margaret McLaughlin McCarrick Care Center Inc., a residential skilled nursing facility in Somerset; Saint Peter’s Comprehensive Care Group locations in Monroe and Piscataway townships; Saint Peter’s Urgent Care Center in Skillman, and Saint Peter’s Adult Day Center in Monroe Township. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. For more information about Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, please visit www.saintpetershcs.com or call 732-745-8600.