New Episode of Medtech POV Podcast: Dr. Peter Schneider and Dr. Justin Klein Unpack New York Times Article on Atherectomies and Peripheral Artery Disease
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the latest episode of the Medtech POV Podcast, AdvaMed President and CEO Scott Whitaker sits down with Dr. Peter Schneider, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, and Dr. Justin Klein, AdvaMed board member and co-founder at Vensana Capital. The three talked about a recent New York Times story about atherectomies and peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the impact the story could have on patients seeking treatment for this condition.
In discussing the article, Dr. Schneider made it clear just how big of an issue PAD is for millions of Americans and the role atherectomies play, saying, “This is really important, and it’s probably too big a subject to cover in a single article in the New York Times or really anywhere else. I think the fact that we only really learn part of the story is not too surprising, but PAD is a major problem in that there are millions of people worldwide, including a couple million people in the United States, that have peripheral arterial disease… The arteries literally do become hardened with calcium. That’s important because part of this story is about atherectomy, and atherectomy is specifically designed to manage or to drill through or to debulk, if you will, calcification. In a previous generation, those people wouldn’t have lived. But now they’re living decades longer.”
When asked by Whitaker about the chilling effect the New York Times coverage could have if patients with PAD are scared to seek treatment, Dr. Schneider agreed, saying, “I think that’s the most likely potential negative outcome of this particular article. And we know from our experience during the pandemic that if you scare the patients enough, they will stay home, and they will lose the leg. We had a kind of a spike, a dramatic uptick in the number of amputations in our hospital during the pandemic, because people were too afraid to come in.”
Throughout the episode, Dr. Schneider and Dr. Klein go into detail about the critical importance of atherectomies as a treatment for PAD and the role of medtech innovation in improving care for patients with this condition. They also lend their expertise on this nuanced issue and fill in the gaps left by the New York Times’ coverage. Listen to the full episode here.
To listen to the episode, download the Medtech POV podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcast streaming is available. Visit AdvaMed’s website for more information on the podcast and past guests.
The Medtech POV podcast is hosted by Scott Whitaker, President and CEO of AdvaMed, the world’s largest medical technology association. It premiered in April 2021 and has featured medtech and health care policy leaders such as Dr. Steven Hahn and General James Mattis. In each episode, guests and host Scott Whitaker cover the intersection of medtech and policy from every perspective, including current issues in business, policy, and current events.
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AdvaMed member companies produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org.