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Manatee Memorial Hospital is now offering patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease a new treatment that uses sonic pressure waves to safely break up calcium blockages that can reduce blood flow in the heart.
The new shockwave technology, known clinically as intravascular lithotripsy or IVL, allows physicians to fracture the problematic calcium and safely expand the artery so that blood flow can be restored through the placement of a stent without unnecessary complications.
S. Jay Mathews, MD, performed the first IVL procedure with the help of Manatee Memorial Hospital’s Heart and Vascular team in August. James Nguyen, MD, Anthony Pizzo, MD, Enrique Rivera, MD, Jeffrey Rossi, MD, and Gino Sedillo, MD, are also trained in this procedure. Currently, the hospital has completed 55 procedures.
“Our cardiology team is steadfast in its commitment to give our patients access to the latest cardiovascular innovations to treat heart disease,” said Tom McDougal, CEO, Manatee Memorial Hospital. “It is exciting to be able to offer this treatment option to our patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease.”
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each 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 1million patients that undergo a stent procedure each year, 30 percent have problematic calcium that increases their risk for adverse events.
“Our cardiology team is steadfast in our commitment to give our patients access to the latest cardiovascular innovations to treat heart disease. It is exciting to be able to offer this treatment option to our patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease.” Tom McDougal
CEO
Manatee Memorial Hospital
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.
Manatee Memorial Hospital, a member of the Manatee Healthcare System, has served the residents of Manatee and surrounding counties for over 68 years. The hospital opened a new Emergency Care Center in December 2018 to accommodate our growing community and the first Interventional Radiology Suite with biplane in Manatee County, in January 2019 to support advanced stroke care and vascular disease.
The hospital’s range of medical services includes emergency medicine for all ages; cardiac; cardiovascular; stroke; surgical; orthopedics; outpatient and inpatient radiology services; rehabilitation; respiratory care; sleep services; oncology; wound care and women’s and children’s services including the only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the county. For more information visit www.manateememorial.com.
Physicians are on the medical staff of Manatee Memorial Hospital, but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Manatee Memorial Hospital. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice, visit our website.
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