#29 - Fighting atherosclerosis with cavitation - Scott Nelson - FastWave Medical

Scott Nelson is a true authority in the Medtech field. A serial entrepreneur, investor, and early podcaster with Medsider, he currently leads FastWave Medical, a startup developing a method to combat atherosclerosis, specifically the rigid plaques formed by significant calcium deposits in blood vessels. The principle behind this technology is cavitation, which involves the formation, growth, and implosive collapse of bubbles in a liquid medium. When sonic pressure waves are transmitted through a balloon catheter filled with liquid, they cause rapid pressure changes in the surrounding fluid. These pressure changes result in the formation of bubbles within the fluid rapidly expanding and collapsing violently. The shock waves created by these bubbles' explosion weaken solid nearby structures while leaving soft tissues intact. The idea is to break down calcium deposits without affecting the blood vessels, which regain flexibility. It thereby reduces the risk of obstruction or increased local blood pressure, and facilitates the placement of a stent or the expansion of the vessel with another balloon catheter. The method, called intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), is already used by interventional cardiologists. Still, much work remains to make it easier to use, more cost-efficient, and ultimately democratize further this practice, whose clinical benefits have already been proven. This is at the core of FastWave Medical’s mission. Given the rapid development of the company (having raised $12 million in just six months after its incorporation in 2021) and its progress in clinical validation stages, there is no doubt that it is poised to disrupt and expand an emerging market where only a few firms operate. In this episode, we talk with Scott about medtech entrepreneurship, being a visionary in a highly regulated industry, and the importance of sharing experience and expertise to progress daily in one’s healthcare career. An episode with one of the leading voices in the medtech scene, offering a glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery! Timeline: 00:02:23 - Scott’s background in Medtech 00:07:34 - FastWave Medical’s mission in cardiac surgery 00:10:35 - Working principle of IVL 00:20:23 - Adoption in clinical practice 00:22:30 - What FastWave Medical does differently than its competitors 00:26:33 - Driving the costs of the surgical intervention down 00:27:44 - Towards additional medical indications for IVL 00:30:58 - Starting Medsider and podcasting before the iPhone What we also talked about with Scott: Stents Balloon catheters Atherectomy Joovv Shockwave Medical CTO Plus Cardiovascular Research Foundation Miguel Montero-Baker Venkatesh Ramaiah As mentioned by Scott during the episode, we recommend looking at the IVL Science page on FastWave Medical’s website as well as The Catalyst Blog curated by Shockwave Medical, to learn more about IVL and its latest progress. If you are yourself in MedTech entrepreneurship, do check out Medsider and the numerous resources and insights it offers, including interviews from other Founders and CEOs, a newsletter, and playbooks. You can also listen to the Medsider Podcast on all streaming platforms! You can contact Scott via email and follow his activities on LinkedIn. If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email! And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! ⭐️ There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here! Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website!