ASSISTS WITH DCA

Dr. James B. Chapman recently assisted St. Joseph's Hospital, Denver's largest cardiology hospital, with the implementation of a new cardiac program.

Chapman was invited by the hospital to work with cardiologists on directional coronary atherectomy (DCA), which was first performed in 1985.

DCA restores blood flow to clogged vessels by dislodging plaque from the walls of the vessels. But, unlike other methods, such as balloon angioplasty, DCA shaves plaque off the artery, collects the plaque in a special chamber and then completely removes the plaque.

Chapman has been performing the new procedure at Southeast Missouri Hospital's Regional Heart Center since last summer. Chapman, a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology, holds membership in the American Medical Association, the Cape County Area Medical Association and the American Heart Association. He is a frequent lecturer at national cardiovascular meetings.