New Device Treats Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) with Minimally Invasive Approach
Trellis Device Available in Jacksonville at Baptist Downtown and Baptist South

Jacksonville, Florida, July 6, 2010 -- NASCAR driver Bryan Vickers had it. While embedded with Army troops covering the war in Iraq, NBC journalist David Bloom lost his life because of it.

It's called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition in which a massive clot develops in the legs of air travelers, hospital patients or others who don't move for long periods of time. When the clot breaks off, it can travel to the lungs, resulting in a pulmonary embolism that can cut off blood flow to the heart, lungs or brain and can be fatal.

Symptoms of DVT may include the onset of pain in the leg, swelling in the leg or other extremities, red or blue skin discoloration, or the leg is warm to the touch. Diagnosis of the condition is done with ultrasound.

Developed in the 1950s, traditional treatment for DVT includes the use of blood-thinning medication the patient must be on for the rest of his life and compression stockings. The medication prevents further development of clots, but doesn't address the existing clot. This means the patient is always at risk for the clot breaking off and leading to a pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke. They must be closely monitored for life.

In Jacksonville, vascular and endovascular surgeon Erin Moore, MD, is using a new device called the Trellis Peripheral Infusion System to treat the condition. The catheter-based procedure, performed locally only in the Hybrid Operating Room at Baptist Medical Center Downtown, is usually completed in under an hour. The procedure is done under IV sedation or general anesthetic.

"The Trellis device has in inflatable balloon on both ends," explains Dr. Moore. "We place the device into the affected blood vessel and blow up both balloons. We then infuse the clot-busting medicine to break down the clot, which is then aspirated out of the catheter at the end of the procedure. The medicine works almost instantaneously and only affects the blocked area of the leg."

The Trellis device not only prevents pulmonary embolism, but restores the leg to full health. The patient goes home within 24 hours of the procedure and is usually able to return to normal activity within one to two days.

"The key is identifying those people who are at risk," says Dr. Moore. "We need to treat patients with Trellis within three to four weeks at the onset of symptoms. The sooner they get to their physician, the better chance we can treat this successfully."

For more information about this device, visit www.bacchusvascular.com/dvt/system.html.