Manatee Memorial Hospital has a new treatment for severely calcified coronary artery disease patients: Shock wave therapy. Known as intravascular lithotripsy, the procedure uses sonic pressure waves to break up calcium blockages that can reduce blood flow in the heart. Once the calcium is broken up and the artery expanded, a stent can be implanted to increase blood flow. The hospital has done more than 55 of the procedures since last November.

“It is exciting to be able to offer this treatment option,” says Tom McDougal, Manatee Memorial Hospital’s CEO.

Also last year, Manatee Memorial says it became the first hospital along Florida’s west coast to use the Barostim Baroreflex Activation Therapy, a device intended for systolic heart failure patients who have not had success with other treatment options.

Unlike many other implants for heart failure, the Barostim system does not actually touch the heart. Rather, it uses an electrode on the patient's carotid artery. The electrical impulses that are sent from the device inform the brain of the heart's condition, enabling the brain to improve the function of the heart. The goal, over time, is to strengthen the heart and reduce heart failure symptoms.