CARDIAC CATH LAB - Mount Sinai Hospital

Patient: Owen Cowitt, MD, 66-year-old
male physician
Diagnosis: Chronic total occlusion of left femoral,
popliteal and tibial arteries with aneurysm of the
iliac artery and gangrenous toes of left foot
Treatment: Complex peripheral recanalization via
rotational atherectomy and drug-eluting stents
“I left the hospital the following
day on my feet and didn’t miss
a day of work.”
“I was diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes in my late
thirties,” Dr. Cowitt begins. “I had difficulty managing
the condition, and my health continued to deteriorate. In
2004 I received a transplant to replace my failing kidneys.
“Though the surgery was a success, the diabetes-related
problems continued, particularly circulatory issues
with my left foot, which developed chronic ulcers and
gangrene. A doctor myself, I recognized it as PAD, and
I visited a specialist at NYU. But they recommended
only amputation, which was devastating.”
A colleague of Dr. Cowitt suggested Dr. Prakash Krishnan, a
specialist in endovascular intervention at Mount Sinai. “Dr.
Krishnan immediately made himself available,” says Cowitt.
“He radiated confidence, which I found very reassuring.”
Dr. Cowitt chose December 31st to have the procedure. “My own
practice generally closes for the holidays, so on New Year’s Eve
day I went in for the surgery. Dr. Krishnan began the procedure
by opening up a portal in my right femoral artery. He carried out
a complex intervention, recanalizing my left superficial femoral
artery, working down to the anterior tibial artery, clearing the
occluded passages with a rotablator. When he was done I had a
pedal pulse again and, best of all, an intact foot.
“Dr. Krishnan later told me that he had found areas in which the
occlusion was 90 to 100 percent closed but that he was able to bring
them down to 0 to 10 percent! I left the hospital the following day
on my feet and didn’t miss a day of work. I’ve done very well since.
I’ve been back for some additional treatment for my left toes, but
I’m really doing well, and that to me is a miracle.”
44 Mount Sinai Hospital Cardiac Cath Lab