How can sound waves cure heart disease?

New research suggests that sound waves may be the new way to treat heart disease.

Research indicates that a small device such as a tube sends sound waves through diseased blood vessels, which can enter the hard calcium deposits that shrink it.

About 120 patients were treated with a new clinical trial in 15 centers in Europe.

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Heart disease is caused by contractions of blood vessels and stiffness due to an accumulation of fat called plaque that reduces blood flow to the heart and other parts of the body.

Lower blood flow means that the heart has to work harder, which can cause angina pectoris. If a plaque breaks, it can cause blood clots, resulting in more blood clots and, when this happens in the coronary arteries, can cause a heart attack. .

Treatment for heart disease includes diet changes, plaque-reducing medications, and surgery to insert wire (stents) or balloons to open narrow arteries.

One of the most important problems associated with these traditional procedures is that the plaque is made of hard calcium that is impossible to move without damaging the proper tissue.

In severe cases, patients may be offered surgery to open a bypass of the coronary artery, where blood is redirected around the narrowed or narrow portion of the artery to help from a vein taken from another part of the body.

The new device, known as the coronary system, uses sound waves to break down calcium at the surface and at depth. A similar but more powerful technique is used to break kidney stones, often composed of calcium.

Under local anesthesia, a small tube containing a vacuum balloon is introduced into the femoral artery and transmitted to the occlusion site located near the heart, then inflated with the help of saline solution . The balloon causes the decomposition of calcium.

Source: Daily Mail