New Shockwave technology at Wellstar is expanding access to life-saving heart care.
If a patient has a complex calcium blockage in their heart arteries, this innovative technology will break up the blockage using sonic pressure waves. It safely cracks the calcium to prepare the artery for stent placement, keeping treatment efficient when time matters most.
Calcium makes the blockage more difficult to reopen with traditional treatments, including balloons. Previously, if a patient’s artery could not be opened using a balloon, the patient would need to be transferred to Kennestone Regional Medical Center with open heart surgery capabilities to undergo an atherectomy — where a physician would break up the blockage with a small drill or laser. With this new shockwave technology, open heart surgery services are not needed as a backup.
Wellstar’s talented and experienced interventional cardiologists are currently using Shockwave technology, also known as intravascular lithotripsy, to treat complex blockages at Kennestone, Cobb, Douglas, Paulding, North Fulton and West Georgia hospitals, allowing complex care to be performed expeditiously, safely and close to home.
Visit wellstar.org/heartcare to learn more about how Wellstar can keep your heart healthy.