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The volume of one of these procedures, called the atherectomy, has more than doubled in the past decade, according to an analysis of Medicare payment data.

Typical treatments may include balloon angioplasty, the placement of stents or the removal of plaque with a bladed catheter, also known as an atherectomy.

In one encounter, a doctor deployed 33 devices in one procedure — three atherectomy devices, nine stents and 21 balloons.

"Atherectomy is important in certain settings. But it's being used in a way that is entirely inappropriate and it's largely driven by the incentive structure," said Dr. Caitlin Hicks, the lead author of the study and an associate professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

At that point, more than 15 of their vascular devices had been used, including stents, balloons and those for atherectomy.