Saint Margaret Mercy’s Laser Technology Provides
Long-term Angina Relief to Heart Patients
Conclusive Data Presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2000

For Immediate Release
December 12, 2000
Contact: Maria E. Ramos
(219) 865-2141, ext. 45321
Maria.Ramos@ssfhs.org

Hammond, Ind – Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers is the only hospital in Northwest Indiana and Southeast Chicagoland using a breakthrough laser therapy – transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) – that provides significant pain relief to severe angina patients.

On Nov. 15, at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2000, researchers presented results from a long-term study on the effectiveness of TMR using a carbon dioxide (CO2) Heart Laser. The data demonstrated that the CO2 TMR procedure provided patients angina relief for five years. The presentation was entitled “Sustained Angina Relief Five Years After Transmyocardial Revascularization with a CO2 Laser.”

Dr. Michael Perelman, board-certified cardiovascular surgeon on staff at Saint Margaret Mercy, agrees with the findings. “The laser technology continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in treating patients with debilitating angina,” Dr. Perelman said. “At Saint Margaret Mercy, our TMR patients have experienced an impressive reduction in chest pain. The long-term angina relief allows the patients to vastly improve the quality of their lives, which is what we are striving for.”

TMR is performed through an incision in the chest and does not require that the patient be placed on a heart-lung bypass machine. The effective laser treatment uses a CO2 Heart Laser system. During the procedure, the surgeon places the laser on the wall of the heart, and when the laser is activated, a new bloodline is created in less than one millisecond. The surgeon uses the laser to create 20 to 40 channels into the left ventricle of the heart. The channels allow oxygen-rich blood to reach previously deprived areas of the heart. Since 1990, the Heart Laser, which was developed by PLC Medical Systems Inc., has treated more than 6,500 patients.

For more information on the Heart Laser system, call Saint Margaret Mercy’s Health Resource Center at 1-888-784-2100.