ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Coronary microvascular disease can contribute to major cardiovascular pathology, but there are no approved disease-modifying therapies. On the hunt for a new solution, VahatiCor is pursuing a new device that narrows coronary sinus flow to improve perfusion in the microvascular network.
There is increasing recognition of an alternative pathway—besides occlusive epicardial coronary artery disease—to heart disease and heart failure: the impairment of the heart’s smallest vessels, otherwise known as coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD). In patients with this pathology, the sub-millimeter blood vessels in the heart’s network fail to widen or constrict properly, which impedes the on-demand delivery of blood and oxygen to end organs.
Far from being merely a cause of chest pain or angina, coronary microvascular dysfunction is associated with increased risks of heart failure, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Yet it is not widely diagnosed nor are there yet disease-modifying therapies for this condition.
