State-of-the Art, Three-Dimensional Mapping Aids in Identification and Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia
October 2003 — Patients with irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, can now take advantage of an advanced treatment option at Memorial Regional Hospital. Through highly sophisticated and targeted 3-D mapping, physicians can accurately identify arrhythmia and promptly treat the condition — all in one procedure.
Improved Mapping Ability
Arrhythmias are disorders of the regular rhythmic beating of the heart. They can occur in a healthy heart and cause minimal concern. In other circumstances, however, they can indicate a more serious problem and lead to shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting and even sudden cardiac death.
Cardiac mapping, or heart mapping, has long been used to study the electrical flow of the heart. Traditional cardiac mapping uses a two-dimensional X-ray and catheters inserted into the heart through veins to determine areas of the heart with electrical disorders that are responsible for the arrhythmia. This method, however, makes precise location of the arrhythmia difficult to pinpoint.
Memorial Regional Hospital is one of a select few hospitals in South Florida that uses advanced technology similar to GPS (global positioning satellite) technology to more accurately determine the site of the arrhythmia, as well as treat it during the same procedure.
Targeted 3-D Imaging and Treatment
Using the CARTO™ XP EP Navigation and Ablation System, physicians at Memorial Regional Hospital are able to view the electrical activity of the heart through real-time data on 3-D, color-coded cardiac maps.
"The CARTO System uses magnetic 3-D technology to accurately determine the location and orientation of the mapping and ablation catheter," says Raul Mitrani, MD, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Memorial Regional Hospital and physician on the medical staff at Joe DiMaggio's Children's Hospital and Memorial Hospital West. "Three magnets located under the patient feed electrical and spatial information to the system, which creates a 3-D image of the heart on a monitor. Once the exact location of the arrhythmia is determined, ablation is used to cauterize the abnormal circuit and eliminate the arrhythmia."
Ablation is administered through the catheter tip and transmits painless energy. This energy creates heat that causes a small area of cells to die and stop the abnormal rhythm.
High Success Rate
Since this procedure combines cardiac mapping and ablation therapy, it takes approximately two to four hours. Following the procedure, patients typically stay overnight in the hospital and return to activity within a few days.
For most patients, this treatment means increased odds of a healthier heart. "There is less than a 5 percent chance of recurrence of arrhythmia for patients using this procedure," says Dr. Mitrani. "It is an overall successful procedure used in cases of complex arrhythmia."
For referral to a physician or cardiologist, call the Memorial Healthcare System
Physician Referral Service at (800) 944-DOCS.