Making emergency artery repair safer

Catheters outfitted with balloons, lasers, and miniature drills have made the treatment of blocked arteries virtually routine. These devices are used to clear plaque from many vessels including coronary, femoral, renal, and carotid arteries. Until recently, a misstep in the delicate procedure usually required risky emergency surgery. Now physicians are using the same technology used to open clogged arteries to repair ruptures and perforations with less risk.