The Medical City Iloilo has reached a new milestone with the successful performance of the region’s first Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) on July 23, 2025, showing the changing landscape of cardiovascular care in Western Visayas.
IVL is a minimally invasive procedure that uses sound wave pulses—similar to those used for breaking up kidney stones—to crack hardened calcium buildup inside heart arteries. This helps open up the blood vessels, making it easier for doctors to insert a small tube called a stent, if needed, to keep the artery open and restore healthy blood flow.
The procedure was performed by a collaborative team of specialists led by The Medical City’s Interventional Cardiologists—Dr. Kristy Garganera-Tugbang (Iloilo) and Dr. James Diaz (Ortigas), TMC Iloilo Anesthesiologist, Dr. Felix Ruzen Fandinola, and the experienced staff of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
Supporting this breakthrough was the recent introduction of Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS)—currently the most advanced in the region. IVUS provided detailed imaging of the patient’s arteries, revealing plaque buildup and vessel dimensions to guide the medical team toward a more targeted and accurate treatment strategy.
The patient, a 66-year-old woman with hypertension and a family history of coronary artery disease, was referred by Dr. Regina Elena Bisnar-Regalado following a positive dobutamine stress echocardiogram—an indication of reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. She was diagnosed with severe three-vessel coronary artery disease involving the left main coronary artery and underwent the high-risk complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention using IVUS-optimized stenting with coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy.
With the availability of IVL and IVUS in Iloilo, patients with complex coronary conditions now have access to cutting-edge interventional procedures without the need to travel outside the region. These innovations not only reduce the necessity for coronary bypass in select cases but also help promote quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays.
As advancements in cardiovascular care continue to evolve, The Medical City Iloilo remains committed to making life-saving technologies more accessible to the community. By expanding capabilities in interventional cardiology, the goal is to provide patients with timely, high-quality care, helping them return to their loved ones stronger and sooner.