Shock wave vs drill for hard calcium in heart arteries
Part of Heart & circulation clinical trials.
This study tests a new way to break up hard calcium deposits in heart arteries using shock waves (lithotripsy), with or without a special drill (rotational atherectomy), before placing a stent. It may help people with severely calcified blockages that are hard to treat with standard methods.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You are 18 or older and need a procedure to open a blocked heart artery.
- The blockage is new (not a previous stent) and is more than 70% narrowed, or 50–70% with symptoms.
- The artery is at least 2.5 mm wide and the blockage is at least 5 mm long.
- The blockage has heavy calcium (hard deposits) seen on an angiogram or other test.
- You are not having a heart attack right now, you do not have severe kidney disease, and you are not pregnant or planning major surgery soon.
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
Similar studies
Other trials that look related to this one.
This study tests whether using a special camera inside the artery to guide a shockwave device (intravascular lithotripsy) can safely break up severe calcium deposits in heart arteries. If you have a tight, calcified blockage that needs treatment, this trial may offer a precise, guided approach to opening the artery.
This study tests a new method called coronary lithotripsy to break up severe calcium deposits in heart arteries before placing a stent. It may help people with very hard, calcified blockages that are hard to treat with standard stenting.
This trial tests whether a drug-coated balloon (a tiny balloon that releases medicine) works as well as a drug-coated stent (a mesh tube) for treating hard calcium deposits in heart arteries. Patients first receive a special shockwave treatment to break up the calcium.
This trial compares two treatments for heavily calcified heart artery blockages: a special balloon that uses sound waves to break up calcium (lithotripsy) versus a standard balloon. It also looks at whether using a camera inside the artery (OCT) helps guide the procedure.
This trial compares two treatments for severely calcified coronary arteries: a drug-coated balloon (DCB) and a drug-eluting stent (DES). It is for people who have already had a procedure to crack or soften the calcium (like rotational atherectomy), and whose blood flow looks good afterward.
This trial tests a special balloon that uses shock waves to crack calcium in heart arteries, making it easier to place a stent. It is for people with chest pain or signs of heart strain due to a single, severely blocked artery with dense calcium.
Hear when a new Coronary artery disease trial opens
We’ll email you when one opens — at most once a week, no account needed, unsubscribe anytime.