First patient benefits from Royal Papworth’s heart laser procedure

A caretaker from Spalding, Lincolnshire, has become the first patient at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to benefit from a heart procedure that uses a Philips (Spectranetics) CVX laser system called an excimer laser coronary atherectomy (ELCA), avoiding the need for bypass surgery.

Michael Bronze underwent ELCA, which is used to treat stents in coronary arteries that are under-expanded or that have re-narrowed. The stents are cleaned via a laser, in a minimally invasive procedure that leads to a quicker recovery time.

Dr Hoole added: “Under-expanded and re-narrowed stents are particularly challenging to treat. ELCA offers the ability to vaporise obstructive tissue inside and outside the stent, enabling improved stent expansion and improving blood flow to downstream heart muscle, relieving angina as well as reducing the risk of future stent failure.

“We look forward to being able to offer this new treatment to more patients with complex coronary disease subsets within our wider region.”

Picture: Dr Stephen Hoole (second from left) and Dr Peter O’Kane (centre) with representatives from Philips and the Royal Papworth Hospital cath lab team.

See this report on page 4 of the September 2023 issue of RAD Magazine.