"These blockages are notoriously difficult to treat without surgery," Dr. Imran Mohiuddin vascular surgeon at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston, said in a statement. "This new device gives our patients an effective, minimally invasive solution that can keep them out of the operating room."

The tip of the catheter vibrates against the face of the chronic total occlusions -- blockages in arteries -- at a frequency of 20,000 cycles per second, pulverizing it and creating a channel through the blockage, explained Mohiuddin.

Once the high-frequency vibration breaks through the blockage in the artery, surgeons can perform standard balloon angioplasty and stent placement and for many, eliminating the need for surgical bypass of the blockage, Mohiuddin said.

The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center is currently enrolling patients in the Phase II clinical trial of the new procedure.