Shock waves for stiff heart valves: new balloon tested in First-in-Human trial
NCT ID NCT06952374
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing a new balloon device called SmartWave that uses shock waves to break up calcium in severely narrowed mitral valves. The study enrolls 10 adults with symptomatic mitral stenosis caused by mitral annular calcification or severely calcified rheumatic heart disease. The goal is to see if the device can safely improve valve opening without causing major complications, potentially offering a new option for people who are not good candidates for standard balloon valvuloplasty or open-heart surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- SmartWave lithotripsy balloon, a device that uses shock waves to break up calcium in heart valves
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a less invasive way to treat severely calcified mitral valves, possibly avoiding open-heart surgery or making follow-up valve procedures safer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a first-in-human study with only 10 participants, so safety and effectiveness are still unknown. The device could fail to open the valve, cause complications, or not work for everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>18 and * Able to give procedure and study consent and * Severe symptomatic mitral stenosis (MVA \<1.5cm\^2 derived by 3D planimetry or continuity equation or pressure half time) and * Presence of mitral annular calcification or * CRHD with severe leaflet calcification with Wilkins score \>8 Exclusion Criteria: * Baseline \> moderate MR * Intracardiac thrombus as visualized by TEE * Pregnant patients. Female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test (per site standard test) within 7 days prior to index procedure. * Active infection with bacteremia * Current participation in another investigational drug or device study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Prince of Wales Hospital
RECRUITINGShatin, New Territories, 999077, Hong Kong
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