In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration denied approval to the makers of one type of laser used in the procedure, citing safety concerns. The FDA noted the device could cause irregular heartbeats, heart attacks, even death. Pellet therapy, meanwhile, is being tested worldwide as a way to destroy blockages in plaque-plugged arteries. This therapy, in clinical trials locally at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in Flushing, involves the increasingly applied brachytherapy techniques, often associated with treating brain tumors and prostate cancer. With this technique, computer-precision is required to achieve exact pellet placement.
Improved medications are also in the pipeline.
It is hoped that as superaspirin's price declines, its use will become more widespread. New surgeries also are in store. Some cardiovascular surgeons are testing an operation called left-ventricular reduction to treat patients with congestive heart failure. The operation involves cutting out a significant portion of the heart, then sewing the remaining sections together. Congestive heart failure kills 250,000 people a year and now is treated palliatively or through heart transplantation.