Pete’s Perspective: Lifelong Dream Becomes Reality Offering Solution for Millions

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Healthcare professionals make a difference every day in the lives of those they serve. It isn’t every day however that a medical advancement permanently changes the healthcare landscape and gives patients a better way to treat a debilitating disease.

Salinas Valley Health is proud to recently become one of the first two medical centers in the United States to perform a revolutionary treatment for patients with blocked arteries in the leg. The new procedure provides near-immediate relief from the agonizing leg pain millions suffer due to severe peripheral arterial disease, known as PAD.

It was possible, in great part, due to the vision of one of our interventional cardiologists, Jim Joye, DO. Two decades ago, Dr. Joye conceived of a unique approach to treat PAD with a non-invasive technique using a specialized stent to bypass a blocked femoral artery and restore blood flow to the leg. He has worked since then to see his idea for this life-changing treatment, known as the Detour System, become a reality.

Deeply involved in developing the technique, Dr. Joye has participated in years of global clinical trials of the percutaneous trans-arterial bypass. The Food and Drug Administration approved the Detour System in June 2023.

On July 14, 2023, Dr. Joye led the highly skilled Cath Lab team at Salinas Valley Health in the groundbreaking procedure on two patients. Both patients went home on the same day– a significant advancement from traditional open bypass surgery of the legs, which requires lengthy recovery time. Dr. Joye said he is especially appreciative of the cath lab facilities, its extraordinary team and the administrative support for this new treatment.

Cleveland Clinic was the only other healthcare system selected to participate in the nationwide launch. The National Institutes of Health estimates 8-12 million Americans suffer from PAD. Seeing Dr. Joye’s vision come to fruition in such a profound and impactful way, is inspiring. And it is rewarding to know that medical centers and hospitals across the nation will soon be able to offer this same kind of relief to their patients.

Dr. Joye is in the process of training other physicians throughout the United States so they, too, can provide the procedure. Salinas Valley Health is proud to have played a part in this medical milestone. It is yet another testament to the innovation and dedication of our outstanding staff and team of physicians, who work continually to raise the bar in patient care.

Be safe and be well.

– Pete