Austria uses shockwave therapy in bypass surgery for first time

Austria is using shockwave therapy during bypass operations in routine clinical care for the first time, ORF reported. The treatment is being introduced at Klinik Floridsdorf, a hospital in Vienna, following development work by the cardiac surgery department at the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Shockwave therapy is already used in orthopaedics and physical medicine, including for calcific shoulder conditions and chronic pain affecting the musculoskeletal system. High-energy sound waves are directed into the body to stimulate damaged tissue to regenerate.

At Klinik Floridsdorf, doctors are now applying the treatment to the open heart during bypass surgery. According to Martin Grabenwöger, head of cardiac and vascular surgery at the hospital, the aim is to improve the heart’s contraction strength. The mechanical waves trigger a biological response, prompting cells to release growth factors and stimulating the formation of new blood vessels.

A bypass operation can preserve the heart’s remaining pumping capacity but cannot improve it, Grabenwöger said. Shockwave therapy could increase the heart’s pumping performance by 12 percentage points, according to the surgeon.

Patients have reported improvements in their daily lives after successful operations, including being able to do their own shopping or take longer walks with their dogs, Grabenwöger said in a statement.

The wider use of the treatment at Klinik Floridsdorf is based on a study from Innsbruck. Its results are also intended to contribute to a Europe-wide study. Around 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from heart muscle weakness, according to ORF.