IIoilo hospital performs first IVL heart procedure in Western Visayas
By Tara Yap
A PATIENT undergoes the first intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) heart procedure at The Medical City Iloilo in Iloilo City. (TMC Iloilo)
ILOILO CITY — The first intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) heart procedure in Western Visayas region was recently performed at The Medical City Iloilo (TMC Iloilo).
A 66-year-old woman was the first patient in the region to undergo IVL by a team of specialists — interventional cardiologists Dr. Kristy Garganera-Tugbang of TMC Iloilo and Dr. James Diaz of TMC Ortigas; anesthesiologist Dr. Felix Ruzen Fandinola, and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory staff.
The IVL procedure last July 23 used sound wave pulses to crack the hardened calcium buildup inside the patient’s arteries. This helped doctors insert a small tube known as the stent, which opened the patient’s arteries and restored healthy blood flow.
The patient was initially diagnosed with severe three-vessel coronary artery disease involving the left main coronary artery. She was referred to TMC Iloilo by Dr. Regina Elena Bisnar-Regalado in Roxas City.
The successful procedure was backed by the use of the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), which the hospital acquired for advanced scanning of detailed images of a patient’s arteries.