Monday, September 18, 2006
New Treatment Offered for Irregular Heartbeat
(PENSACOLA, FL) – Sacred Heart Hospital is now providing a new surgical procedure to treat a potentially life-threatening heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation.
A team of cardiovascular surgeons led by Dr. James Nielsen from Cardiology Consultants performed the area’s first cardiac ablation surgery done solely for atrial fibrillation – and without stopping the heart -- on August 30.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder affecting more than 2.4 million Americans. Because of abnormal electrical activity, the upper chambers of the heart contract so rapidly and irregularly that it is difficult for the heart to beat effectively. The disease may endanger those with chaotic heart rhythm by triggering blood clots that can move to the brain, causing devastating strokes. About 15-20 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.
Using a new technology developed by St. Jude Medical, the new surgical approach uses a high intensity ultrasound device to safely treat irregular heartbeat without having to place the patient on a heart-lung bypass machine. The cardiac ablation procedure allows surgeons to heat targeted cardiac tissue to 176 degree Fahrenheit. As the probe is activated, it safely creates precise lines or scars in heart tissue without damaging nearby tissues. The procedure destroys specific heart muscle cells that transmit erratic heart rhythms.
Atrial fibrillation is a disease that increases in frequency and severity as patients grow older. For some people, the disorder causes no symptoms, while in others, it can cause:
• A racing or fluttering heart beat
• Dizziness or fainting
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath.
“Atrial fibrillation is the result of misfiring electrical signals in the heart,” said Dr. William Bailey, a surgeon with Cardiology Consultants who practices at Sacred Heart Hospital. “The new procedure is a less invasive form of surgery and a new option for treating patients for whom medication is not successful, or who do not want to be on blood thinning medications for the rest of their lives.”
In addition to medications, there are other choices for treating atrial fibrillation, including electric shock, pacemakers and ablation procedures in which thin tubes called catheters are inserted into a blood vessel and directed to the heart. Energy is delivered to the arterial wall to destroy heart tissue that triggers abnormal electrical signals.
When medications or catheter procedures are not effective, the best alternative has been a difficult, open heart surgery known as the Cox-Maze procedure. That procedure is a major operation that requires surgeons to cut split the breastbone, put patients on a heard-lung bypass machine, and temporarily stop the heart. Because the open heart surgery carries higher risks for complications, it has typically been reserved only for patients who already needed major surgery to bypass clogged arteries or repair heart valves.
By comparison, the new cardiac ablation surgery involves a smaller incision and is performed on a beating heart – with no need for the heart-lung machine. Patients are able to go home in two or three days instead of seven days of more with the traditional open surgery.
“We are able to treat patients with reduced risk while also lowering their chances of having a stroke,” said Dr. James Lonquist, a cardiovascular surgeon with Cardiology Consultants who practices at Sacred Heart. “We expect this innovation will enable a larger population of patients to have surgical treatment solely for atrial fibrillation.”
Sacred Heart’s Regional Heart and Vascular Institute recently acquired the new device. Dr. Nielsen, Dr. Lonquist and Dr. Bailey are performing the procedure. They will be working with cardiologists to educate patients on the best options for treating the disease.
For more information about atrial fibrillation and procedures to correct heart rhythm disorders, call Sacred Heart at (850) 416-1600.
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