We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Lithoplasty System Treats Peripheral Artery Disease

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Jan 2015
Print article
Image: The Lithoplasty balloon catheter system (Photo courtesy of Shockwave Medical).
Image: The Lithoplasty balloon catheter system (Photo courtesy of Shockwave Medical).
A novel system combines the calcium disrupting power of lithotripsy with the simplicity of a balloon catheter into a single device.

The Lithoplasty system is designed to disrupt and pretreat calcium deposits present in peripheral artery disease (PAD) by applying a brief series of powerful mechanical pulses through the soft tissue. The plaque, having been stressed from the induced vibrations, thus becomes more pliable. The integrated balloon catheter is then dilated at low pressures to expand the lesion evenly without damaging the vessels themselves, minimizing any potential acute soft tissue injury that could lead to the need for additional interventional treatments or long-term restenosis.

The balloon dilatation catheter incorporates tiny lithotripsy electrodes that increase the compliance of rigid vascular and valvular lesions prior to the low-pressure dilation. The pretreatment enables more effective angioplasty, less frequent bailout stent usage, and enhanced lesion preparation. In aortic valves, the technology could vastly improve native tissue preparation prior to trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and valvuloplasty for patients not suitable for TAVR. The Lithoplasty system is a product of Shockwave Medical (Fremont, CA, USA), and has received the European Community CE marking of approval.

“CE Mark approval for Lithoplasty in peripheral artery disease is an exciting milestone for Shockwave Medical and sets the stage for regulatory approvals in other geographies,” said Daniel Hawkins, co-founder of Shockwave Medical. “We are also investigating applying this therapy to calcified coronary lesions, another important unmet clinical need.”

“Lithoplasty is a breakthrough that could revolutionize the treatment of peripheral artery disease, a common circulatory problem that can lead to serious complications, including amputation,” said Marianne Brodmann, MD, of the Medical University of Graz (Austria). “With Lithoplasty, even historically very challenging PAD patients with deep calcium can be treated effectively without significant injury to the vessel.”

Related Links:

Shockwave Medical
Medical University of Graz


Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Infant Blood Draw Station
Infant Blood Draw Station

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.