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News Release:
"Last Resort" New Heart Procedure Successful
2 Cases Performed at Galichia Medical Group in Kansas
To all National and Medical/Health Editors
Wichita, Wednesday, January 14, 1998/PR Newswire/ -- Dr. Joseph P. Galichia,
cardiologist and founder-director of the Galichia Medical Group and Research Institute,
Dr. Mark Bowles and Atlanta's Dr. Bill Knoff, have successfully performed two
"experimental" cases of what's called "PTMR" which stands for
Percutaneous Transluminal Myocardial Revascularization. It's a newly developed laser
procedure. "This is a procedure of 'last resort' for patients which have severe blood
flow deficits to portions of their heart muscle in areas which are inoperable either with
open heart surgery or commonly used balloon angioplasty procedures. These are areas
which are deprived of oxygen often resulting in severe chest discomfort," Dr.
Galichia explained.
One of the two patients, Gary Posey, 56, had his first open heart surgery in 1974
after suffering a heart attack at age 32. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael
Debakey in Houston at a time when it was relatively new. Subsequently, Posey suffered two
more heart attacks and each time had coronary bypass surgery. Posey then had
numerous angioplasty balloon and stent procedures done by Dr. Galichia until this week
when he successfully overcame his severe chest pain after the new "PTMR"
procedure was performed.
"I really appreciate being considered for this new procedure," Posey
said, "and I'm grateful to God that this went well and I feel really good. It
looked like the end of the road for me but I'm thankful to Dr. Galichia for not giving up
on me because he gave me hope and without hope, you just don't have anything," Posey
said. "This morning, after the procedure, I got out of bed and washed my hair and as
I was drying it I realized this was the first time in memory that I didn't have to take a
'nitro' (pill) to dry my hair." Posey said his chest pains were completely relieved
as a result of the new procedure. The second case was equally successful, according
to Dr. Bowles.
"The immediate success of this procedure is encouraging and we will be
studying the long-term of PTMR and the use of this procedure in patients who are not so
severely ill," Dr. Galichia concluded.
Contacts: Galichia Medical Group, P.A., Verne Baker, Administrator (800) 657-7250 or
Stephen Jaffe, Jaffe & Company, Inc., Phone: (310) 275-7327.
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