ESMR
ESMR- Extracorporeal Shockwave Myocardial Revascularization
Are you listening to your heart? Get your heart back in track naturally without the risk of any surgery.
What is angina?
It’s a collective term for all symptoms associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), where the heart muscles are deprived of enough blood supply, due to dysfunction of the vessels which carries blood to the same gets often blocked or narrowed. Angina may feel like chest pain or pressure, pain in the jaw, neck arms, back, nausea or generalized weakness. Each patient experience angina differently. Current medical therapy for refractory angina is limited and the prognosis is poor.
What are the ideal indications for whom ESMR is proven effective?
- Chronic chest pain ( Refractory Angina) even after Bypass surgery or Angioplasty
- Having 70 % -100 % blockages in angiogram
- Re-blocks after Bypass surgery or Angioplasty
- Chronic Renal disease with heart attack problem
- High-risk cases medically unfit for Bypass surgery
- Patients coronary anatomy not readily amenable for Bypass surgery
- Inability to perform angioplasty because the target lesion is inaccessible
- Patients not willing for surgical procedures
What is ESMR?
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Myocardial Revascularization or ESMR is a world-class, most advanced, non-invasive therapy approach using “extracorporeal shockwave” technology for myocardial revascularization ( i.e. to improve and induce new blood supply to the heart muscles) non surgically and non-pharmaceutically. Hence ESMR is also known as Noninvasive Cardiac Angiogenesis therapy (Ni-CATh) or Non – Surgical Bypass treatment.
Areas of the heart affected with myocardial ischemia, which is no longer benefited from other invasive treatment modalities like bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty and stent, could be successfully treated with the ESMR therapy. It offers a new ray of hope for those patients and provides therapy which complements existing treatment procedures.
How is the procedure done?
The patient rests comfortably on a treatment table. High Definition Echocardiography Imaging is performed to ensure precise applicator positioning. Focused Low-Energy Shockwaves are then applied non-invasively.
Shock waves in ESMR are targeted acoustic/sound waves (like an ultrasound) with precision intensity and are of short duration. The sound waves are generated by an underwater high voltage spark, which is delivered non- invasively to the targeted portions of the heart muscle to create collaterals and improve blood flow; focused by a special ellipsoid reflector. The reflector is coupled to the patient’s skin near the affected area with a water cushion. The focal zone distance into the patient’s body is adjusted according to the clinical requirements.
How safe is the procedure?
ESMR is completely safe with no side effects reported during, immediately after or post-treatment. During treatment, some patients may experience a tickling sensation in the chest, accompanied by a certain degree of noise; but there is no pain involved. This sensation will pass immediately or shortly after the treatment.
How effective is ESMR therapy?
ESMR has been proven to alleviate symptoms in 90% of patients. Various studies have shown that improved blood perfusion to the heart muscle was evident in the specific regions of the heart where shock waves were administered. Smokers and diabetic patients might need additional sessions to achieve a therapeutic effect.
Angiogenesis or Neo-vascularisation means formation or growth of new blood vessels (otherwise called coronary collateral formation) naturally which in turn increases the blood supply to the ischemic tissue of the heart and improves the myocardial perfusion. The creation of new blood vessels or neovascularization enables the supply of additional blood, which can be very significant for the survival of ischemic cardiac tissue. Consequently, the growth of new blood vessels in the heart can be critical for patients who suffer from cardiac ischemia – a potentially life-threating disease. Hence coronary collateral angiogenesis can also be called “NATURAL BYPASS”.
The purpose of this innovative non-surgical treatment is to produce new pathways around the blocked arteries in Ischemic zone of the heart by expanding networks of tiny blood vessels called collaterals that help increase and normalize the blood flow to heart muscle thereby reducing or relieving angina.
Advantages of ESMR therapy:
- It is non-invasive and carries no risk of anesthesia, nor require any sedatives
- Absolutely painless procedure
- Reduces chest pain and other symptoms
- Improves the quality of life for patients with heart conditions
- Reduces drug intake and repeated hospitalizations
- Improves exercise tolerance
- No re-treatment limitations
- Popular outpatient procedure around the world