Laser drill reduces the pain of heart disease

17 Jun 2002

Drilling tiny holes in the heart with a carbon dioxide laser eases the pain of heart disease, according to a study in the 30 September issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The technique, known as transmyocardial laser revascularization, improves blood flow in the heart and is offered to patients who cannot benefit from surgery or other treatments. A small incision is made between two ribs to give access to the heart. The laser then drills up to 30 one millimetre sized holes, which seal up immediately but stimulate the flow of oxygen-rich blood. The laser pulses are synchronized with the heart-beat so that the holes are created when the heart is most full of blood.

In the year-long study, 91 angina patients were treated with the laser technique and 101 were treated with conventional drugs alone. Of the laser patients, 72% showed significant improvements while only 13% of the others showed the same levels of improvement. One researcher, Robert March from a medical centre in Chicago, US, said that, after treatment, patients went from being bedridden with severe chest pain to being able to move about with little or no pain.

SH