Also, these patients often experience costly hospital stays because of frequent visits for treatment. The PTMR procedure is performed under local anesthesia by a cardiologist in a cardiac catheterization laboratory. During the procedure, the cardiologist makes a tiny incision in the patient's leg and inserts a catheter in the leg artery that leads to the heart. A holmium laser is fed through the catheter to create tiny holes in the heart muscle. These holes become channels for the blood to flow to the oxygen-starved areas of the heart.
Researchers believe that the procedure causes new vessels to form, alleviating or reducing angina.
In TMR, surgeons make an incision in the chest to gain access to the heart muscle and then they use the laser to create tiny holes or channels. Thus far, the results have been promising. With the TMR procedure, chest pain has been relieved or reduced in most patients. Both TMR and PTMR are currently being used on patients who have not received angina relief from conventional treatments, such as medical therapy, angioplasty, and coronary artery bypass. Additionally, local anesthesia is used, which further reduces the risks of complications.