Back to OSF HealthCare
Back to OSF HealthCare
cvi-shockwave-hero.jpg

Shockwave Therapy

Enjoy life with fewer symptoms of coronary artery disease. Shockwave therapy uses sound waves to improve blood flow through clogged heart arteries and reduce chest pain without open-heart surgery [link to new heart surgery page]. You’ll find this treatment option at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria — which has more experience in the procedure than any other hospital in downstate Illinois.

Interventional Cardiology
cvi-impella-disease.jpg

What is coronary artery disease?

Your coronary arteries send blood and oxygen to your heart. If plaque (fat) builds up inside them and slows blood flow, you have coronary artery disease. This common type of heart disease causes weakness, shortness of breath, pain in your upper body and other symptoms. Without treatment, the illness may lead to a heart attack.

What to Expect

You receive treatment from an interventional cardiologist — a heart doctor who treats clogged arteries without surgery. You lie on a table while the physician:

  1. Makes a small incision over a blood vessel in your upper thigh
  2. Places a long, thin tool that releases sonic waves into the blood vessel and moves it up to your heart arteries, where it cracks built-up calcium
  3. Inflates a balloon to widen the artery and places a stent (tiny tube) to keep the blood vessel open

This procedure doesn’t involve a chest incision. So, you’ll recover more quickly and easily than you would after heart surgery, such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

cvi-impella-outcome.jpg

Improve Your Outcome

After shockwave therapy improves blood flow to your heart, you may feel more energetic and have a lower risk of heart attack or heart failure. But you’ll need to take steps to prevent plaque from clogging your arteries again. Cardiac rehabilitation can help you safely strengthen your heart and make healthy lifestyle changes. Lean on your primary care doctor for support to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy over the long term.

Talk to Your Doctor

Ask your cardiologist if shockwave therapy is right for you.