"An experimental device that acts like a miniature drill and "

An experimental device that acts like a miniature drill and vacuum cleaner partially broke up clogs inside diseased heart arteries and sucked out the debris, letting doctors conduct angioplasties that were a little safer for their patients, researchers announced Tuesday.

Angioplasties restore blood flow through clogged arteries with a balloon- tipped catheter threaded inside the blood vessel and inflated to push back
blockages. More than 1 million angioplasties are performed each year in this country alone.

They carry a risk: Clogs usually are a mix of soft and hard plaque, and while balloons push aside the hard stuff, they can break up the softer plaque so that it floats downstream and lodges in another blood vessel to cause a heart attack.

Doctors have long explored different ways to filter out that debris, a technique called thrombectomy. For actual article, click HERE.