A First for the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre

A highly specialised procedure to help a patient with a severely blocked coronary artery has been carried out for the first time at The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC) at Basildon University Hospital.

Last month, CTC Lead Cardiologist Dr Paul Kelly performed a successful rotablation on Andrew Needham, 56, from Rayleigh. Mr Needham is now back at work as a self-employed plumber and heating engineer.

Rotablation is a challenging technique which involves inserting a diamond-tipped rotating burr into the artery, on the end of a wire 1/14,000 inch in diameter. The burr breaks up the calcium deposit, allowing a tube called a stent to be fitted to keep the artery open.

The procedure is technically demanding and used relatively rarely. It is applied in cases where the blood vessels are so severely obstructed that a stent cannot be passed through. The CTC is one of just a few centres in Britain where rotablation is performed.

Mr Needham was referred to the CTC after he experienced severe heart palpitations and leg pains. An angiogram revealed that one of his main arteries was blocked, but an attempt to put in a stent was unsuccessful.

He said: “When the stent didn’t work, I was pretty alarmed, because I thought it would mean a by-pass, which is a major operation. But Dr Kelly said that he might be able to avoid that by using a new machine.”

The patient is awake during the procedure, with the wire inserted through the groin area, or the wrist. Mr Needham says it wasn’t a pleasant experience but was reassured by Dr Kelly and other staff, and even managed a joke.

He recalls: “I said to Dr Kelly that what he was doing was really just a bit of plumbing, and he replied ‘Yes, expensive plumbing.’"

Two weeks after the procedure, Mr Needham returned to his business and the kind of pipe work that he feels more comfortable with. He says he did not know about the CTC until he was referred there.

“I thought it was really fantastic. So clean, and all the staff were wonderful. To be perfectly honest I really thought at one stage that I might die, but I’m back on form now and feel absolutely fine.”

Dr Paul Kelly and Dr Nick Robinson will carry out the next ten to 15 rotablation procedures at the CTC. It is envisaged that a future training programme will enable more doctors to perform the technique.