Johnston Health offers first-of-its-kind treatment for heart disease

Submitted by JOHNSTON HEALTH

SMITHFIELD — Johnston Health has a new treatment option for patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease. The new technology is a novel application of lithotripsy, an approach that uses sonic pressure waves to safely break up kidney stones. It’s now available to treat problematic calcium in the coronary arteries that can reduce blood flow in the heart.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Every year, more than 600,000 people in the United States die of heart disease. As people with heart disease, specifically coronary artery disease, grow older and their disease progresses, plaque in the arteries evolves into calcium deposits, which can narrow the artery. Physicians often use stents to open an artery, and of the approximately 1 million patients who undergo a stent procedure every year, 30% have problematic calcium that increases their risk for adverse events.

Calcium makes the artery rigid and more difficult to reopen with conventional treatments, including balloons, which attempt to crack the calcium when inflated to high pressure, and atherectomy, which drills through the calcium to open the artery.

While atherectomy has been available for several decades, its use remains low, as it can result in complications for patients who are undergoing stent procedures.

The new shockwave technology, also known as intravascular lithotripsy or IVL, allows physicians to fracture the problematic calcium — using sonic pressure waves — so that the artery can be safely expanded, and blood flow is restored with the placement of a stent and without unnecessary complications.

“The cardiology team at Johnston Health is steadfast in our commitment to give our patients access to the latest cardiovascular innovations to treat heart disease,” said Dr. Matthew Hook, interventional cardiology director at Johnston Health. “It is exciting to be starting a new chapter in the treatment of heart disease in some of our most complex patient cases after using the same tools for the last 30 years — especially one that improves the safety of the procedure for the benefit of Johnston County and surrounding communities.”

Johnston Health is an accredited chest pain center and was recently recognized by Healthgrades as a five-star recipient for treatment of heart attack.

For important safety information regarding this new treatment, please visit www.shockwavemedical.com/IFU.