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First Visually Guided Catheter Ablation for Irregular Heartbeats in America Performed By Saint John's Health Center Cardiologist

Posted on: Friday, 16 March 2007, 00:01 CDT

Today, a Saint John's Health Center cardiologist in Santa Monica, California used an investigational, endoscopically guided laser catheter to treat "short-circuiting" heart tissue that was causing a potentially dangerous arrhythmia in a 58-year-old man.

It was the first time this minimally invasive procedure has been performed in the United States. The patient was the first to be treated in the ENABLE trial, a multi-center clinical investigation soon to be taking place in 20 hospitals throughout the country.

Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Shephal Doshi, M.D., performed the investigational procedure, called Endoscopic Catheter Ablation, on a California man. The man has suffered from periodic episodes of irregular heartbeat, dizziness and fatigue for more than a year.

The man was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an electrical disturbance of the heart caused by a "short circuit" involving the upper chambers of the heart.

"I felt my heart jumping all over the place, I was lightheaded, dizzy, and had trouble sleeping. Medicine only helped for a little while so I'm hoping to find a permanent treatment to help me feel better," said the patient.

Today in the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory, Dr. Doshi and colleagues inserted a slender catheter into a vein in the patient's right leg. The catheter was threaded up into his chest and guided into a large vein in his heart, using the investigational endoscopic video camera, small amounts of traditional real time x-ray and ultrasound imaging. Dr. Doshi was assisted by Dr. Vivek Reddy of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Once in the area with the "short-circuiting" tissue, Dr. Doshi inflated the balloon and was able to visualize the target tissue for the first time. Once the target was located, he turned on the laser, which released precisely controlled arcs of light around the vein. Several bursts of laser energy were able to destroy an area of abnormal tissue while causing no significant damage to surrounding healthy heart muscle.

"For the first time we can see directly into the heart and treat the areas that are 'short-circuiting' with more precision," says Dr. Doshi.

Dr. Doshi treated all four pulmonary veins within the heart which were "misfiring." The patient was sedated during the procedure.

"We hope that this therapy will be an effective treatment for people with atrial fibrillation," says Dr. Doshi.

The patient spent Thursday night on the Cardiac Arrhythmia Floor and is expected to go home Friday morning. He plans to be at work Monday morning.

NOTES:

A videotape with B-roll and SOTs will be available at 10:00 am tomorrow (Friday, March 16) from Barbara Bishop.

Interviews with Shephal Doshi, M.D. are available upon request.

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation is rapid, uncontrolled beating of the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart. When the upper chambers "short circuit" they don't completely fill with blood. This causes the lower chambers to beat erratically and pump lower than normal volumes.

As a result, patients experience palpitations, chest discomfort and breathlessness. In severe cases, the person can become weak and faint, which can be life-threatening if the patient is at the wheel of a car.

The disorder affects nearly 2.3 million Americans and is caused by congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction (heart attack), diseases of the heart valves, high blood pressure and infection. In 20 to 35 percent of cases, the cause is unknown.

Without treatment, the disorder can permanently damage the heart causing heart failure and death. Also, blood pooling in the heart can form clots that lead to stroke. In fact, patients with Afib have a risk of stroke 5 to 6 times higher than normal. These patients need carefully controlled anticoagulant (blood thinner) therapy to reduce this risk.

Dr. Doshi is an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating irregular heart rhythms caused by problems with the heart's electrical system.

The investigational device used in this procedure is referred to as the "Visually Guided Endocopic Ablation System" and was developed by CardioFocus, Inc. of Marlborough, Massachusetts. For more information, call (508) 658-7200 or visit http://www.cardiofocus.com.

Source: Business Wire

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