Medcare Hospital Al Safa has started using SPUR® Retrievable Scaffold Therapy to treat patients with severely narrowed or blocked arteries below the knee, becoming the first hospital in Dubai to use the technology.
The minimally invasive device temporarily supports the artery after it is opened and is removed at the end of the procedure. Unlike a permanent metal stent, it leaves no implant behind.
What SPUR® therapy means for patients
The treatment is aimed at people with advanced circulation problems affecting the foot, including patients with diabetes. Poor blood flow can prevent foot wounds from healing and, in severe cases, contribute to tissue loss and amputation.
According to the hospital, the technology may be particularly useful in small, heavily diseased arteries below the knee, where vessels can sometimes narrow again after balloon angioplasty.
Dr. Saher Arour, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, said: “When a foot wound does not heal because of poor circulation, restoring blood flow can make the difference between progressive tissue loss and giving the foot a chance to heal.”
First Dubai patient treated
The hospital’s first patient was a 71-year-old Emirati woman with tissue loss caused by severely reduced blood flow to her foot.
The blocked artery below the knee was reopened and the SPUR® device was subsequently retrieved. Follow-up imaging showed improved blood flow without immediate procedural complications, while the wound continued to improve and the limb was preserved.
The hospital said limb salvage does not depend on the procedure alone. Dr. Arour noted that wound care, infection control, diabetes management and follow-up are also important parts of treatment.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
