Heartbeat: Soundwaves blast away blockages in heart patients
December 18, 2018
Patients being treated for blocked arteries will benefit from a new potentially life-saving treatment using soundwaves to clear the clogged up vessel.
The cardiology team are now using the new Intracoronary Lithotripsy (Shockwave) technology to treat narrowings of the coronary arteries, to eliminate the heavy build-up of calcium.
It’s the same technology that is used to break down kidney stones. Dr Leong Lee, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist said: “Narrowings or blockages of the arteries are usually treated by stretching open the vessel with a balloon (angioplasty) before delivery of a stent which keeps the artery open long term.
“These narrowings can be associated with a heavy build-up of calcium which makes the artery very hard and impossible to stretch using a balloon. In these circumstances it would usually not be possible to deliver a stent to the artery without first eliminating the calcium.
“This is usually done using rotablation (a drill) but this technique is only performed by a limited number of cardiologists.
“Shockwave is a new technology that will allow the calcium to be eliminated by trained interventional cardiologists thereby allowing the delivery of stents. It utilises technology that has been available for over 30 years to eliminate kidney stones using ultrasonic waves (Lithotripsy).”
Dr Lee continued: “The soundwaves delivered by the balloon are very low energy and will disrupt calcium within the artery but not normal heart tissue. The delivery of these soundwaves is localised to that section of the artery. This is usually sufficient to allow stent delivery but very rarely rotablation will also be required.
“We have been awaiting delivery of the equipment and approval by our clinical governance team. This occurred in early November and we are aiming to begin performing the procedure for our patients very soon.”
The new procedure does not cause any additional pain or discomfort compared to a regular angioplasty procedure. However, some patients may feel some chest discomfort when the balloon is being used but this will be for a short period and is usual for any angioplasty procedure.
The risk of major complications is the same as with any angioplasty procedure.
Dr Lee added: “This technology is all about improving patient safety and it also means that more of our team are able to carry out the stenting procedure in patients with heavily calcified arteries.
“Our cardiology department is frequently at the forefront of using cutting edge technology and we understand that we are one of very few NHS organisations to introduce this procedure.”