Mercy marks first for region with breakthrough procedure to treat abnormal heart rhythm
8:05 AM
Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
SIOUX CITY -- Mercy Medical Center announced today that doctors have performed a revolutionary new procedure that corrects atrial fibrillation, AF, a common form of heart rhythm abnormality and a major cause of stroke.
On Nov. 27, Robert Buss, 77, of Laurel, Neb., became the first Siouxland area patient to undergo a closed-chest Maze procedure, the hospital said. Mercy cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Keith Allen performed the advanced procedure, and is now one of only 70 U.S. surgeons specially trained in the practice. Allen said patients experience far less surgical stress and have a shorter recovery time with the minimally invasive procedure.
"This treatment option has the potential to help many of the people who suffer from atrial fibrillation, returning them to normal heart rhythm and significantly reducing their risk of stroke," he said. "Used successfully on patients who are good candidates for the procedure, it is a good alternative to major cardiac surgery or a lifetime of medication."
AF is an irregular heart rhythm that compromises the heart's ability to pump blood. Abnormal electrical signals begin at the top of the heart and travel down the heart muscle, causing the atria, or upper chambers of the heart, to contract erratically. As a result, blood pools in the atria and forms clots that can travel to the brain and cause stroke.
Traditionally, the surgical treatment for AF involved a major operation. Doctors cut the breastbone or sternum and usually put the patient on a heart-lung machine so his or her heart could be stopped. As a result, the more invasive surgical procedure was generally only performed on patients in association with other planned cardiac surgery. Now patients can realize the benefits of the Cox-Maze operation in a stand-alone procedure, without undergoing a major open-heart operation.
Guided by their tiny camera inside of the chest cavity, surgeons loop a catheter, a thin tube, around the heart. When the catheter is activated with microwave energy, it creates a lesion around the atrium that will scar and block the electrical impulses causing the irregular heartbeat.
On Nov. 27, Robert Buss, 77, of Laurel, Neb., became the first Siouxland area patient to undergo a closed-chest Maze procedure, the hospital said. Mercy cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Keith Allen performed the advanced procedure, and is now one of only 70 U.S. surgeons specially trained in the practice. Allen said patients experience far less surgical stress and have a shorter recovery time with the minimally invasive procedure.
"This treatment option has the potential to help many of the people who suffer from atrial fibrillation, returning them to normal heart rhythm and significantly reducing their risk of stroke," he said. "Used successfully on patients who are good candidates for the procedure, it is a good alternative to major cardiac surgery or a lifetime of medication."
AF is an irregular heart rhythm that compromises the heart's ability to pump blood. Abnormal electrical signals begin at the top of the heart and travel down the heart muscle, causing the atria, or upper chambers of the heart, to contract erratically. As a result, blood pools in the atria and forms clots that can travel to the brain and cause stroke.
Traditionally, the surgical treatment for AF involved a major operation. Doctors cut the breastbone or sternum and usually put the patient on a heart-lung machine so his or her heart could be stopped. As a result, the more invasive surgical procedure was generally only performed on patients in association with other planned cardiac surgery. Now patients can realize the benefits of the Cox-Maze operation in a stand-alone procedure, without undergoing a major open-heart operation.
Guided by their tiny camera inside of the chest cavity, surgeons loop a catheter, a thin tube, around the heart. When the catheter is activated with microwave energy, it creates a lesion around the atrium that will scar and block the electrical impulses causing the irregular heartbeat.
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JH/Cal wrote on Dec 16, 2007 2:46 PM:
GEO/IA wrote on Dec 12, 2007 8:22 PM:
DJV/Calif wrote on Dec 12, 2007 6:18 PM: