US cardiologist performs TMR (transmyocardial revascularisation) with a rotating needle
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A US cardiologist has used a small rotating needle to drill holes in the heart of a patient with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) for the first time in the US, in a minimally-invasive procedure known as mechanical percutaneous myocardial revascularisation (MPMR). The procedure is similar to percutaneous transmyocardial revascularisation (PTMR), which uses a laser to create channels that bypass blocked arteries and allow blood to circulate oxygen to starved heart muscle.