Ep. 53 Pulmonary Embolism: Catheter-Based Therapy & Importance of Blood Return with Dr. Jay Giri and Dr. Julie Bulman

Drug-coated balloons and a head-to-head trial against lithotripsy have put cutting and scoring balloons back at the center of complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, Dr. Nyal Borges interviews Dr. Ziad Ali, director of the DeMatteis Cardiovascular Institute, for an in-depth look at the mechanics, selection, and technique behind cutting and scoring balloons in complex PCI. They cover how these devices create a controlled dissection in fibrolipidic plaque, why they only fracture calcium that sits right at the lumen, and how lesion type and imaging should guide the choice between a conventional balloon, a specialty balloon and intravascular lithotripsy.

What does it actually take to open a chronically occluded pulmonary artery without pushing the patient into reperfusion pulmonary edema? On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, Dr. Hady Lichaa interviews Dr. Riyaz Bashir, interventional cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, about the real-world, table-side technique of balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). They walk through vascular access, telescoping sheath setup, right heart catheterization, pressure wire guidance, balloon sizing, and step-by-step planning for each lobe and lesion.

When your questions in cardiology go beyond the bedside and into healthcare innovation and transformation, is an executive MBA your next step? On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, Dr. Ankit Patel interviews Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji of the Cleveland Clinic about his journey from clinical cardiology to business school, and how an MBA empowered him to drive real change in healthcare. Dr. Damluji shares how business education gave him the tools to lead new programs, challenge the financial assumptions behind emerging technologies, and build a cardiovascular center focused on aging.

When a coronary lesion won’t open at conventional pressures, what can an ultra-high pressure balloon do differently? On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, host Dr. Hady Lichaa welcomes Dr. Deepak Kapoor, interventional cardiologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, to discuss the science, safety, and real-world applications of ultra-high pressure (UHP) balloons in calcified coronary intervention. Dr. Kapoor walks through the evolution of balloon design, the main scenarios where UHP balloons are most useful, and the technical details that set these devices apart from standard non-compliant balloons and other calcium modification tools.

What are the critical steps for delivering a stent in tortuous, calcified coronary lesions, and how do you adapt when the anatomy fights back? This week on the BackTable Cardiology Podcast, Dr. Hady Lichaa hosts interventional cardiologist Dr. Sripal Bangalore, director of the Cath Lab and CTO program at Bellevue Hospital, to discuss planning and performing complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Their conversation centers on advanced strategies for retroflex circumflex lesions approached via right radial access, with a focus on careful angiogram review, managing severe tortuosity, and post-procedure antithrombotic regimens.