LASER VAPORIZES BLOCKAGES, AVERTING AMPUTATIONS

A new laser zaps through blockages to ease the pain of peripheral artery disease and appears to dramatically reduce the risk of amputation in people with diabetes. The laser, called the CliRpath, is increasingly being used in Middle Tennessee hospitals as an alternative to bypass procedures, the use of balloons to open arteries or procedures that mechanically scrape out plaque. The Gallatin News Examiner (http://www.gallatinnewsexaminer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/FEATURES04/603210370)