Angioplasty with a Laser and Fiber Optics at 2.94 µm

A solid state Er:YAG laser operating at 2.94μm, which is at the absorption peak of biological tissue, was used to ablate calcified and uncalcified atherosclerotic plaque in human arteries. The experiments were done in vitro. The laser radiation was passed through a flexible zirconium fluoride glass fiber, with virtually no loss, onto human aortas in saline solution. A low threshold for ablation and clean cuts with no charring compare favorably with excimer laser studies of tissue ablation.