EMPOWER CAD

The first prospective, female-only study of coronary interventions in complex calcific disease, in collaboration with female leaders.

Study Design & Rationale
EMPOWER CAD logo
Empower CAD logo

It’s Time to Empower: Our Efforts to Help Close the PCI Gender Outcomes Gap in Calcified Lesions

Underdiagnosed. Underrepresented. Underwhelming outcomes. We know there’s much work to be done to bridge the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) inequality gap between females and males. That’s why we’re committing our expertise, clinical focus and technological advances to do everything we can to narrow the gap. 

Study leadership

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  • Margaret McEntegart, MD, PhD
    Director of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Program Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital
  • Alexandra Lansky, MD, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, FESC
    Professor of Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director, Heart and Vascular Clinical Research Program Yale University School of Medicine
  • Nieves Gonzalo
    Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
Announcing EMPOWER CAD

Study Details: EMPOWER CAD

Co-principal investigators Dr. Alexandra Lansky and Dr. Margaret McEntegart discuss the importance of addressing unmet needs and female inequality in calcified lesions.

  • Sex-specific OCT Characterization of Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy for Treatment of Calcified Coronary Lesions

    Pooled Analysis of DISRUPT CAD OCT Sub-studies 

    The largest sex-specific OCT analysis demonstrates excellent stent expansion and MSA post-Shockwave IVL with impressive procedural safety in both women and men. 

    Download Data Slides

  • Sex-specific 1-year Outcomes in Shockwave Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy

    Patient-level Pooled Analysis of DISRUPT CAD Studies 

    The long-term analysis of Shockwave coronary IVL finds sustained positive clinical outcomes with excellent safety in both women and men at one year. 

    Download Data Slides

Testimonial

Early retrospective analyses have suggested that Shockwave coronary IVL can potentially bridge the disparity in clinical outcomes between sexes, however the studies only included a limited number of females with strict inclusion criteria. Information that will be gathered in Empower CAD will be immensely valuable, as it will provide more robust data with longer-term outcomes in a larger, all-comers patient cohort to determine whether Shockwave coronary IVL should be considered the front-line calcium modification approach in female patients.

Alexandra Lansky, MD, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, FESC — Professor of Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director, Heart and Vascular Clinical Research Program at Yale University School of Medicine

Featured Resources

More on EMPOWER CAD

Testimonial

When it comes to coronary artery disease (CAD), females are often under investigated, under treated and have less favorable outcomes than males due to a variety of different factors. Previous reports with atherectomy have shown that females with calcified CAD are more susceptible to adverse procedural outcomes compared to males. Despite often being more challenging to treat, female patients are under-represented in published data, and there have been no dedicated prospective studies performed on this population. Empower CAD will be an extremely valuable study to better inform interventional cardiologists on the optimal treatment strategy for these complex patients.

Margaret McEntegart, MD, PhD — Director of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Program at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital

Partnering with Others

Accordion Section

See All Clinical Evidence
See All Clinical Evidence
  • DISRUPT CAD I
    Single-arm, pre-market study demonstrating the safety and performance of Shockwave IVL in heavily calcified  coronary lesions.
    Coronary IVL
  • DISRUPT CAD II
    European post-market study confirming DISRUPT CAD I results and showing strong safety and procedural success with Shockwave coronary IVL.
    Coronary IVL
  • DISRUPT CAD III
    Largest and most rigorous Shockwave study showcasing the safety, effectiveness and ease of use of Shockwave coronary IVL .
    Coronary IVL

Dr. McEntegart and Dr. Lansky are paid consultants for Shockwave Medical.