Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Offers First-of-its-Kind Treatment for Heart Disease

CRMC uses Shockwave technology to treat calcified coronary plaque

May 4, 2022

Cheyenne Regional cardiac cath team members who participated in the two Shockwave procedures that took place at CRMC on March 14, 2022: Left to right: Dan Moloney, CVT; Dr. Arunpreet Kahlon, cardiologist; Amber Ratcliff, RN; Cami Mathis, CVT; Dr. Abdur Khan, cardiologist; Deb Waters, RN; Amber Hipszky, RN (pink mask); Ashley Myers, RN (black mask and white scrub cap); Jaclyn Scott, RN (black mask with hearts); Amber Sullivan, RN (green scrub cap); and Tori Hageman, CVT

 Cheyenne, WY—On March 14 Cheyenne Regional Medical Center became the first hospital in Wyoming to use Shockwave technology to safely open a patient’s coronary artery that was blocked due to a buildup of calcified plaque.

“Shockwave technology allows cardiologists to fracture problematic calcium using sonic pressure waves so that the artery can be expanded and a stent placed to safely restore blood flow to the heart,” said Dr. Abdur Khan, the Cheyenne Regional Medical Group interventional cardiologist who performed the procedure in CRMC’s cardiac catheterization lab.

The new technology is a novel application of lithotripsy, an approach that uses sonic pressure waves to safely break up kidney stones.

Dr. Khan also used the new technology on a second patient who underwent a cardiac catheterization that same afternoon. Both patients responded well to the treatment and were discharged home safely the next day.

As people with heart disease age and their disease progresses, plaque in the arteries hardens into calcium deposits that can narrow the arteries.

Calcium makes an artery rigid and often difficult to reopen with conventional treatments. This includes the use of balloons, which attempt to crack the calcium when inflated to high pressure, and atherectomy, which drills through the calcium to reopen the artery.

Cardiac cath in progress in CRMC’s cardiac cath lab, using Shockwave technology. CRMC is the first hospital in Wyoming to offer this innovative procedure to eligible patients.

“Shockwave technology is considered a safer option than more conventional treatments since it creates sonic pressure waves that pass through soft arterial tissue and disrupt calcified plaque by creating a series of micro-fractures,” Dr. Khan said. “After the calcium has been cracked, the artery can be expanded at low pressure and a stent safely implanted to improve blood flow, with minimal trauma to normal arterial tissue.”

The coronary application of Shockwave therapy has been widely adopted in Europe, where more than 25,000 patients have undergone a coronary procedure using the technology. The therapy has been in use in the United States since 2021.

“The cardiology team at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is steadfast in our commitment to giving our patients access to innovative procedure like Shockwave technology,” Dr. Khan said. “It is exciting to be able to offer a new form of treatment for our most complex patients and especially a treatment that has been shown to be safe and improve outcomes.”