The University of Iowa's Heart and Vascular team is the first in the state of Iowa to perform a procedure that uses sonic pressure waves to break up calcium build-up in heart arteries. The procedure, called intravascular lithotripsy, was approved by the FDA in February 2021 to treat severely calcified coronary artery disease.
Coronary stent procedures are commonly used to treat coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in Americans. However, about 10% of coronary artery disease patients seen at UI Hospitals & Clinics have severe calcium build-up in their artery walls, which can reduce the effectiveness of stents and may limit treatment alternatives. Intravascular lithotripsy provides an additional treatment option for more complex coronary artery disease cases with severe calcium build-up.