100% Blocked Artery? How CTO Experts Get Through It | Dr. Brett Bennett
Podcasts > The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas
Saturday, August 8, 2026
What does it take to cross a 100% blocked artery and open the door to treatment when others may think there are no options?
On this episode of The Heart of Innovation, I'm joined by my co-host Dr. John Phillips as we talk with Dr. Brett Bennett, an Interventional Cardiologist and CTO expert, about the challenging world of chronic total occlusions, also known as CTOs.
A CTO is a completely blocked artery, and crossing it requires skill, strategy, tools, and experience. Dr. Bennett shares what makes these cases so complex, how physicians approach them, what patients should understand, and why expertise matters when dealing with advanced coronary artery disease.
Dr. Bennett has a special focus on chronic total occlusion intervention and complex coronary intervention, and his work has helped his program become one of the top CTO centers in the Southeast. He is also actively involved in research related to coronary artery disease, novel coronary stents, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, antiplatelet therapy, and artificial intelligence in heart disease diagnosis.
If you or someone you love has been told they have a blocked artery, this is an important conversation.
Please watch, subscribe, and share so more patients and families can find this information.
Call to Action:
- Subscribe: @TheWayToMyHeart
- Call the Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS
- Visit: TheWayToMyHeart.org
- Join: TheGreatCirculationChallenge.org for our PAD Awareness Month walking challenge
- Comment below with your questions about CTOs, coronary artery disease, or artery blockages
- Share this episode with someone who needs hope, answers, or another perspective
Hosted by: Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips
#HeartOfInnovation #CTO #ChronicTotalOcclusion #BlockedArtery #CoronaryArteryDisease #InterventionalCardiology #DrBrettBennett #HeartDisease #Cardiology #PatientAdvocacy #KymMcNicholas #DrJohnPhillips
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