Hope for High-risk Coronary Artery Patients
A new suite of minimally invasive coronary and cardiac support interventions offers effective treatment alternatives for many patients with complex coronary artery disease.
Farouc Jaffer, MD, PhD
Farouc Jaffer, MD, PhD
Interventional Cardiologist | Cardiologist
Director, Coronary Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital
Director, MGH Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) program
Associate Physician, MGH Cardiology, Department of Medicine
Director, Coronary Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital
Director, MGH Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) program
Associate Physician, MGH Cardiology, Department of Medicine
About Farouc Jaffer, MD, PhD
Dr. Farouc Jaffer graduated from Stanford University in 1990 with a B.S. in Mathematical and Computational Sciences, and received an MD and PhD in Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania of Medicine in 1996. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, followed by a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2003, he joined the Cardiology Division as faculty.
Dr. Jaffer is currently a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the Director of Coronary Intervention and the Director of the Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) PCI Program and CTO PCI Fellowship Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. The MGH is a leading center for treating highly complex coronary blockages, such as CTOs. Many patients without options have successfully underwent CTO PCI, and have experienced meaningful reductions in angina (chest pain) and shortness of breath.
Dr. Jaffer is also a Principal Investigator in the MGH Cardiovascular Research Center where his NIH-funded laboratory develops novel molecular imaging approaches to image high-risk plaques and blood clots, to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and venous thrombosis.
Departments, Centers, & Programs:
Clinical Interests:
- Coronary artery disease
- Coronary artery imaging
- Imaging and therapy of vulnerable plaque
- Interventional cardiology
- Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
Treats:
- Adult
Locations
Mass General Heart Center
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 866-644-8910
Medical Education
- MD, Univ of Penn/School of Medicine
- Residency, Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital
American Board Certifications
- Cardiovascular Disease, American Board of Internal Medicine
- Interventional Cardiology, American Board of Internal Medicine
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Cigna
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Coventry
- Fallon Health
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Humana
- Maine Community Health Options
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- MassHealth
- Medicaid ME
- Medicaid NH
- Medicaid RI
- Medicaid VT
- Medicare
- Medicare ACO
- Multiplan
- Railroad Medicare
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- United Health Care
- Wellpoint
- WellSense
- WellSense NH
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
We are developing new approaches to image high-risk plaques (narrowings, blockages) that cause myocardial infarction (heart attacks). Imaging of high-risk ("vulnerable") coronary plaques could ultimately help prevent heart attacks from occurring.
Specifically, we are developing new intravascular optical (near-infrared fluorescence) imaging catheters to visualize inflammation in plaques. Inflammation is a key driver of plaque ruptures and heart attacks. Novel molecular imaging catheters are undergoing bench and experimental testing. Our goal is to translate these technologies to patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), with the goal of identifying inflamed high-risk plaques. Eventually identifying these plaques may allow us to pre-emptively treat them prior to rupture and heart attack.
Publications
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Select Publications:
- Jaffer FA, et al. Real-time Catheter Molecular Sensing of Inflammation in Proteolytically Active Atherosclerosis. Circulation 2008; 118:1802-9.
- Calfon MA, Vinegoni C, Ntziachristos V, Jaffer FA. Intravascular Near-infrared Fluorescence Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis: Towards Coronary Arterial Visualization of Biologically High-Risk Plaques. Journal of Biomedical Optics (Jan. 14, 2010).
- Sabatine MS, Jaffer FA, et al. A 32-Year-Old Woman, 3 Weeks Postpartum, with Substernal Chest Pain. New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 363:1164-1173.