The laser is threaded through tubes inserted in the leg until it touches the heart wall.
Patients are awake during the procedure.
Very early results suggest that within months, the channels may promote the growth of new blood vessels in those regions. Resar is accepting up to 30 patients for the Hopkins study, people suffering terrible chest pain with or without physical activity. Subjects must be on maximum medication and ineligible for balloon angioplasty or other surgical procedures. During the procedure, physicians inject a small amount of dye into the heart's blood vessels to locate them. Physicians also inject dye into the left pumping chamber of the heart to locate the walls.