Aug 22, 2025, 14:06 PM
- Interventional Cardiology
- News
Innovating Treatment for Chronic Total Occlusion: Dr. Lindsey Cilia Featured on ACC Podcast
Virginia Heart’s Dr. Lindsey
Cilia was recently interviewed by Dr. Anthony DeMaria on the American College
of Cardiology (ACC) Podcast, where she discussed the risks and benefits of
Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (CTO PCI).
About 20% of patients
with coronary artery disease present with Chronic Total Occlusions. A Chronic
Total Occlusion (CTO) is a complete blockage in one of the coronary arteries,
which restricts blood flow to the heart.
When patients are diagnosed with a CTO, their treatment options are often
limited, especially if they are not candidates for surgery. Historically, most
of these patients lived with the blockage while their symptoms were managed
through medication or underwent open-heart surgery to bypass the CTO. With the
advent of CTO PCI, however, a few highly trained interventional cardiologists
are now able to use minimally invasive techniques to open the blockage.
Dr. Cilia discusses this technique and provides a comparison of the associated risks and benefits. One of the main benefits she highlights is that the procedure alleviates lifestyle-limiting symptoms, allowing patients to return to their normal activities and quality of life. It also significantly reduces the number of medications a patient needs to take.
Virginia Heart is proud to be at the forefront of innovation and fortunate to have two highly trained interventional cardiologists, Dr. Lindsey Cilia and Dr. Alexander Truesdell, who are leaders in the field of CTO PCI and regularly perform these procedures. In addition, they are frequently asked to speak at national events to help educate others about this specialized area of interventional cardiology.