Shock wave treatment advances from kidney stones to blocked arteries at Jacksonville hospital – The Florida Times-Union

Treatment advances from kidney stones to blocked arteries at Jacksonville Hospital

Shock wave treatment advances from kidney stones to blocked arteries at Jacksonville Hospital

Ascension St. Vincent's, Florida Times-Union

At Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside in Jacksonville, an existing technology that uses "shock waves" to break up kidney stones has become a new technologyto do the samething to severe calcium deposits that are restricting blood flow in the heart.

Ascension St. Vincent's said it is the first Northeast Florida hospital to use the procedure, whichwas approved in February by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forpatients with hardened arteries.

"We all have plaque buildup that over time can become hardened, can become calcified," saidSamer Garas, an interventional cardiologist at Ascension St. Vincents Riverside.

That calcificationcan narrow the artery, cause blood-flow blockagesand lead to heart attack or stroke. The calcium deposits alsomakethe artery rigid and can hamper conventional treatments, such as balloon angioplasty and stents, which are tiny tubes inserted to keep the artery open, he said.

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With intravascular lithotripsy, doctors usea catheter snaked from anarm or leg that emits sonic pressure waves to breakup the calcium. Then they canexpand the artery with minimal trauma to normal artery tissue and implant a stent, Garas said.

"Shock-wave lithotripsy can disrupt some of the most hardened calcium deposits," he said. "This can allow us to achieve good stent results without the need for more invasive procedures which makes it even safer to treat some of our more complex patient cases."

He said new technology is always emerging, and hospitals keep advancing.

The Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy System was developed by California-based Shockwave Medical. The FDA cited aclinical trial of 384 patients, 92percent of whom received the stent and survived without a heart attack or another procedure for 30 days. About75 percentof the trial patients also survived a year without a heart attack or additional procedure.

Cardiologists at Ascension St. Vincents have used the procedure for a handful of patients. All are doing well, Garassaid.

More: Patient at Ascension St. Vincents is first in Florida with wireless pacemaker

Some of those patients "hada hard time conceptualizing" the use of sonic waves, he said. But once they understoodhow it works to prevent heart attack and stroke, "they're happy with it," he said.

Hardening of the arteries typically impacts older peoplebut can also affect younger people who smoke or have a genetic predisposition, he said.

Nationallyheart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women, killing about 600,000 people every year.

"We always want to provide our community with the most innovative and effective care options available in a safe environment,"said Estrellita Redmon, Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast chief clinical officer.

Ascension St. Vincents,she said, "has a local legacy of innovation in heart care and is often the first in our community to offer new treatment options to those we serve."

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

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Shock wave treatment advances from kidney stones to blocked arteries at Jacksonville hospital - The Florida Times-Union