RESUMO
The adoption of laser-assisted balloon angioplasty (LABA) has been advocated because of two advantages it may have over conventional balloon techniques. First, it has been suggested that more patients and lesions are amenable to LABA. Second, use of the laser has been said to produce higher long-term patency rates. There is already evidence that laser devices can supplement the complement of balloon and wires used in recanalizing peripheral vascular lesions that previously could not be treated. The skilled nursing management required by the patient with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease is based on the nursing process principles of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation combined with the technical understanding and knowledge of the LABA procedure in the operating room.
