Thomas Johnson of Milton feels better than he has felt in years. An irregular heartbeat that was zapping his energy is gone thanks to a non-invasive procedure called catheter ablation.

Before the procedure, Johnson, 65, couldn’t find the energy to simply take his granddaughters into the backyard to see the deer who frequently visit. His inactivity due to lack of energy and strength also caused loss of muscle tissue in the rest of his body.

“Mr. Johnson’s situation reflects what many patients with arrhythmias go through,” said Dr. Sumit Verma, one of two cardiologists at Sacred Heart Hospital who specialize in performing interventional procedures to treat atrial fibrillation. “He had failed treatment with different medications and had difficulty taking them. His case was complicated by the fact that he was allergic to Coumadin- a commonly prescribed blood thinner. As a result, managing his atrial fibrillation was extremely difficult.”

Johnson’s procedure was performed in July and, since then he has remodeled two bathrooms, enclosed a back porch and painted rooms.

“I was on four or five medications – one of them cost me $2,000 -- and now I’m just taking one medication to treat a rapid heartbeat,” says Johnson.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder affecting more than 2.4 million Americans. In a normal heart, electricity flows in a regular pattern. When there’s a “short circuit” that interrupts this regular flow, heart tissue becomes damaged. Often medications will restore the rhythm to normal but medication can be costly, even into the thousands of dollars, and long-term use has side effects.

Years ago, treatment for an irregular heart rhythm used to call for open heart surgery and weeks of recovery, but the non-surgical is usually just as effective. In Mr. Johnson’s case, Dr. Verma and Dr. Mark Borganelli, cardiologists with Cardiology Consultants who specialize in heart rhythm disorders, spent four hours working on Johnson’s heart. Catheters (narrow, flexible wires) were inserted into a blood vessel in his arteries. Using a fluoroscope, the Sacred Heart team was able to view the progress of the catheters as they pushed them through the femoral artery to the damaged area of the heart.

Once at the site of damage, the cardiologists made electrical measurements to pinpoint the exact location of the faulty area of the heart. Then the problematic tissue was destroyed with high-frequency energy from an electrode catheter.

“Findings during Mr. Johnson’s electrophysiology mapping procedure were striking. He had six different types of arrhythmias from nine separate areas of the heart,” recalls Dr. Verma. “All of these were successfully corrected with the procedure. We saw that his heart function improved back to normal in a few weeks afterwards. With improvements in technology and our improved understanding, there are many patients with complex arrhythmias who can be cured.”
Johnson spent three days of recovery at Sacred Heart Hospital and when he returned 30 days after discharge for a check-up, “Dr. Verma told me I could do anything I wanted to do,” says Johnson. “I haven’t felt this good in years.”

“I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Verma and Dr. Borganelli,” he adds. “And the staff on the third floor of Sacred Heart was excellent. They frequently came in to check on my vital signs, they were very personable, and made me feel comfortable.”

Together, the electrophysiologists and the Sacred Heart cath lab team perform more catheter ablation procedures than any other hospital in Northwest Florida. The team at Sacred Heart includes a dedicated team of technologists and nurses. Debi Ghesquiere, RN and Christine Braun, RN are specialized in the field of electrophysiology. They work closely with the physicians during these cases and have many years of experience in dealing with patients who undergo complex arrhythmia ablations.

The popularity of catheter ablation procedures is increasing. This year, Sacred Heart added a second electrophysiology lab due to the growing demand.

For more information about Sacred Heart’s treatment for heart problems, please call 416-1600.

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