Cardiology (see more articles like this)

WHAT:  Florida Hospital electrophysiologist Scott Pollak, MD, feels like he is actually standing inside his patient’s hearts, thanks to new software that allows for the most precise cardiac mapping yet.  And patients like Bill Reynolds, who came all the way to Orlando from the U.S. Virgin Islands to undergo a procedure that utilizes this technology, will benefit from these enhanced images.
 
For more than 15 years, Reynolds has been suffering from atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder.  Despite living in what some would consider a paradise, in St. Croix, Reynolds has been plagued by fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and other health problems because of his irregular heartbeat.  Now, Reynolds is undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation, a complex procedure in which the regions of the heart where the arrhythmia is coming from are isolated and destroyed, or ablated.  And, Reynolds is among the first to benefit from brand new technology that allows doctors to do this more precisely, thanks to new software that gives them a 3-D electroanatomical map of the heart.  

Florida Hospital is one of just a few test sites that offered the CARTOMERGE™ Image Integration Module, before it was recently released onto the market.  It allows electrophysiologists to create 3-D electroanatomical maps that are registered with Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images.  Merging the CT/MRI image with the CARTO System 3-D map allows electrophysiologists to better navigate catheters to targeted points within the heart.  The CARTOMERGE Software Module, allows physicians to accurately locate, map, and ablate arrhythmias.

WHY:  Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders.  During atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart enter a very fast, disorganized rhythm.  Patients with episodes of atrial fibrillation can feel palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath, and weakness.  They are also at increased risk for stroke because there is not smooth blood flow in the upper chambers of the heart, which sometimes results in blood clots.  If these clots break off, then a stroke can occur.

NOTE: Video of the cardiac ablation procedure, cardiac mapping technology, and interviews with the patient, patient’s doctor, and electrophysiolgists who use this technology is available.