Dr. Mark Lawrence, Hendrick’s executive director of cardiology, says the non-drug treatment addresses the stiffness of the heart muscle to relieve pressure, “The most common cause of heart failure is diastolic heart failure, which is when the heart gets too stiff, and the pressure backs up into the lungs and you can’t breathe. So my job is to put a little hole across the atrial septum and that relieves the pressure in the left atrium, relieves the pressure in the lungs and you can breathe better.”
Doctors say the key benefit is improvement in quality of life for the patients living with chronic heart failure, by reducing symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, and swelling in the legs or belly.
Doctors completed the first case yesterday and have three patients currently enrolled. 75 other patients have submitted inquiries to participate in the trial. Anyone interested can speak to their primary care doctor, cardiologist or find eligibility information for the trial online.