Penn Highlands Mon Valley: Advancements in Clot Treatments

Penn Highlands Mon Valley continues to provide the latest advancements in heart care. Adil Waheed, DO, FSCAI, a five-board certified and fellowed interventional cardiologist, has completed dozens of clot removals from pulmonary arteries and major veins using a minimally invasive, catheter-based system.

“Prior to the availability of this system, we were using ultrasound and blood-thinning medications to dissolve clots,” explained Dr. Waheed. “This advanced system is particularly effective for the treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) which is a serious condition where a clot forms deep in a vein, such as the leg or pelvis, leading to blockage of blood flow. It can be life-threatening if the clot travels to the lungs.”

Using the system, a catheter, with an expandable metal coring element and a collection bag, is inserted through a small incision in the skin. The coring element and bag expand and retract to instantly dislodge and remove the clot from the body.

“The recovery is much faster,” said Dr. Waheed. “Using the previous medication method, patients were sent to the Critical Care Unit where they had to lie flat for 18 to 24 hours. Now, with this instant removal of the clot, patients can be placed in a regular medical/surgical room and their recovery is only a few hours.”

It is important to note that Penn Highlands Mon Valley can also perform the procedure using the minimally invasive system on an outpatient basis for people who have chronic DVTs.

Dr. Waheed and his team specialize in diagnosing and treating coronary disease, vascular disease, structural heart disease and congenital heart defects. His office is located on the 4th Floor of Penn Highlands Mon Valley at 1163 Country Club Road in Monongahela, PA.

For more information about DVT care, visit www.phhealthcare.org/heartcare.