 |
|
New tool being tested at Penn to halt recurrence of atrial fibrillation
December 14, 2006Benefits could include shorter procedure time and improved effectiveness
Cardiac electrophysiologists at Penn, in a new trial, are utilizing a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation system (shown here) to treat atrial fibrillation of the heart. It's the first...
Click here for more information.
(PHILADELPHIA) - Clinical researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Health System are starting a trial utilizing a new mechanism to treat the heart when its electrical pulses essentially short-circuit, referred to as atrial fibrillation (A-Fib).
The biggest problem physicians run into with current therapies to cope with electrical rhythmic pumping problems in the heart, namely pulmonary vein isolation procedures, is that up until now, they've had to deliver the energy bursts to the tissue in a dot-by-dot catheter ablation procedure around the veins, almost like a string of pearls. "That can cause swelling, and when that swelling goes down, you may still have viable tissue left behind, gaps, where the electricity can still conduct itself or get through," explains David Callans, MD, director of the electrophysiology laboratory at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and principal investigator of this study. "Now we have a mechanism to construct this barricade of lesions, to do an entire circular ablation, minimizing the potential for gaps behind in the pulmonary veins."
Cardiac electrophysiologists at Penn are now using a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation system. It's the first to deliver energy bursts forward in a complete circle, all at once, from outside of the vein. This invasive procedure is done in the lab with balloon catheters while the patient is awake but sedated.
Electrophysiologists use ablation procedures (involving intense heat on the area of the heart causing the rhythmic pumping problems) to turn pulmonary vein tissue into scar tissue so that it can no longer conduct electricity. When this is done in several locations, it can effectively stop the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, which affects as many as five million Americans. "Since this new system sits outside of the vein, and delivers energy forward rather than immediately around it, there is no damage to the inside of the vein. This maintains a normal blood flow. Plus, this new system could shorten the ablation procedure time which currently takes about four hours," adds Callans.
Penn Medicine, which has one of the largest cardiac electrophysiology programs in the country, has been doing atrial fibrillation ablation procedures for the last several years. Callans states, "Ablation is definitely the future for treatment of atrial fibrillation. Everything else we currently use to treat A-Fib is flawed. So the ablation procedure itself has to improve, become more effective and safer. And one way we can do this is on the technology front by developing better tools. This trial may be a big part of that."
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Cardiac electrophysiologists at Penn are now using a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation system. It's the first to deliver energy bursts forward in a complete circle, all at once, from outside of the vein. This invasive procedure is done in the lab with balloon catheters while the patient is awake but sedated.
Electrophysiologists use ablation procedures (involving intense heat on the area of the heart causing the rhythmic pumping problems) to turn pulmonary vein tissue into scar tissue so that it can no longer conduct electricity. When this is done in several locations, it can effectively stop the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, which affects as many as five million Americans. "Since this new system sits outside of the vein, and delivers energy forward rather than immediately around it, there is no damage to the inside of the vein. This maintains a normal blood flow. Plus, this new system could shorten the ablation procedure time which currently takes about four hours," adds Callans.
Penn Medicine, which has one of the largest cardiac electrophysiology programs in the country, has been doing atrial fibrillation ablation procedures for the last several years. Callans states, "Ablation is definitely the future for treatment of atrial fibrillation. Everything else we currently use to treat A-Fib is flawed. So the ablation procedure itself has to improve, become more effective and safer. And one way we can do this is on the technology front by developing better tools. This trial may be a big part of that."
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Atrial Fibrillation Current Events and Atrial Fibrillation News RSSSize matters: Obesity leading risk factor of left atrial enlargement during aging
Aside from aging itself, obesity appears to be the most powerful predictor of left atrial enlargement (LAE), upping one's risk of atrial fibrillation (the most common type of arrhythmia), stroke and death.
Experts unveil new CVD guidelines and position papers
Several new guidelines and position papers offering the most up to date information to ensure that clinicians practice evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009 this week.
Learning the risks for stroke - and taking action
With this theme in mind, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) emphasises that most of the risks for stroke are also the major risks for coronary heart disease - and thus the object of the ESC's far-reaching prevention programme.
Afib triggered by a cell that resembles a pigment-producing skin cell
The source and mechanisms underlying the abnormal heart beats that initiate atrial fibrillation (Afib), the most common type of abnormal heart beat, have not been well determined.
New blood-thinning drug safer than rat poison
In an article reviewed by F1000 Medicine Faculty Members Robert Ruff, Brian Olshansky and Luis Ruilope, the blood-thinner dabigatran is shown to protect against stroke, blood clotting and major bleeding as effectively as warfarin, but with fewer side effects.
Women with diabetes at increased risk for irregular heart rhythm
Diabetes increases by 26 percent the likelihood that women will develop atrial fibrillation (AF), a potentially dangerous irregular heart rhythm that can lead to stroke, heart failure, and chronic fatigue.
Women with Atrial Fibrillation Are at Significantly Higher Risk of Stroke and Death Compared to Men and Receive Less Attention
Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences, and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.
Mount Sinai first in nation to ablate atrial fibrillation using new visually-guided balloon catheter
Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York became the first in the U.S. to ablate atrial fibrillation using a visually-guided laser balloon catheter.
Atrial fibrillation: Drugs or ablation?
Atrial fibrillation ablation is one of the fastest growing techniques in cardiology and due to the very high number of patients that might be candidates to this procedure, a significant number of resources will have to be devoted to it to be able to treat them in the following years.
Irbesartan reduces heart failure in patients with quivering heart
Most research in atrial fibrillation (AF) has focused on reducing stroke and other embolic events. Yet heart failure occurs more frequently in AF patients, but has not been the focus of intervention research.
More Atrial Fibrillation Current Events and Atrial Fibrillation News Articles
 |
Atrial Fibrillation: From Bench to Bedside (Contemporary Cardiology) by Andrea Natale (Editor), José Jalife (Editor) Advancements in the treatment and prevention of Atrial Fibrillation are presented in this important new book. Atrial Fibrillation affects approximately 2.5 million individuals in the United States and is projected to affect 15 million individuals by 2050. In Atrial Fibrillation: From Bench to Bedside, the reader is provided with the latest information that is critically important in the daily care and for the potential cure of patients with Atrial Fibrillation. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of Atrial Fibrillation and was authored by internationally recognized experts in the evolving field of cardiac electrophysiology. This book is a single source that provides a multi-perspective look at and approach to Atrial Fibrillation. Because Atrial Fibrillation is so prevalent and... |
 |
Atrial Fibrillation (Home Use) Part of the award winning public television series Healthy Body/Healthy Mind. You know the signs...rapid heart beat... shortness of breath... panic! Sounds like a heart attack, or panic disorder. More often, it is Atrial Fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat disorder than can cause the heart to beat more than 300 times a minute. More than 2 million people have Atrial Fibrillation. Here's what happens: because of a problem with the electrical wiring in the heart, the two small upper chambers, the atria, quiver instead of beating effectively. This quivering causes the discomfort the patient feels, and can cause the blood to pool and clot. If a piece of blood clot leaves the heart and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results. About fifteen percent of strokes occur in people... |
 |
Atrial Fibrillation : My Heart, the Doctors, and Me by E. A. Butler (Author) An Investigative Report by an Inquisitive Patient The author felt compelled to write this story after discovering he had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. He had little previous experience with personal illnesses. Now he found himself dealing with production line medicine. This experience fostered skepticism, doubts, apprehensions and grave concerns. He discovered he was afflicted with one of the most elusive and complex cardiovascular problems that involves the electrical impulse of the heart. This led him to unleash his investigative experience to find out why more hasn't been done to cure the malady. |
|
Atrial Fibrillation - The Most Common Arrhythmia (Have A Heart Series) Starring: Dr. Gerry Maddoux Directed By: Mark Baer Also With: Dr. Gerry Maddoux (Writer), Mark Baer (Producer) | |
 |
A Practical Approach To Catheter Ablation Of Atrial Fibrillation by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins A Practical Approach to Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation : A Practical Approach to Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Pub Date: April 2008 Product Type: Print Author/s: Hugh Calkins MD; Pierre Jais MD; Jonathan S Steinberg MD Written and edited by expert electrophysiologists, this book is a practical, well-illustrated guide to the most successful techniques for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. While other texts address ablation of different arrhythmias, this is the first book to focus specifically on atrial fibrillation.Chapters explain how to establish programs and laboratories for treating atrial fibrillation; use complex imaging modalities and guidance systems; implement a variety of catheter-based ablation strategies, either isolated or in... |
 |
Atrial Fibrillation (Fundamental and Clinical Cardiology) by Peter Kowey (Editor), Gerald Naccarelli (Editor) Filling a gap in the literature, this all-encompassing reference explores the epidemiology, mechanisms, and pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation and compiles the latest diagnostic and treatment practices for patient care. The book summarizes the most recent advances in symptom relief, drug development, device management, and long-term control of heart rhythm abnormalities and reviews the latest studies on the prevention of stroke and other thromboembolic events in patients with valvular and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Finally, it offers new strategies to improve the therapy and outcomes of patients suffering from the myriad of complications associated with atrial fibrillation. |
 |
Atrial Fibrillation - The Most Common Arrhythmia (Have A Heart Series) Directed By: Mark Baer Also With: Mark Baer (Producer), Dr. Gerry Maddoux (Writer) * 2 Million people in America have atrial fibrillation. * Advancing age, high blood pressure and diabetes are common causes. * Embolic stroke (clot from the fibrillating left atrium) is the most common complication. This can be largely prevented with anticoagulation. * You can have a normal, healthy lifespan with atrial fibrillation. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
A Practical Approach to Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation (Practical Approach (Lippincott & Wilkins)) by Hugh Calkins (Editor), Pierre Jais (Editor), Jonathan S Steinberg (Editor) Written and edited by expert electrophysiologists, this book is a practical, well-illustrated guide to the most successful techniques for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. While other texts address ablation of different arrhythmias, this is the first book to focus specifically on atrial fibrillation. Chapters explain how to establish programs and laboratories for treating atrial fibrillation; use complex imaging modalities and guidance systems; implement a variety of catheter-based ablation strategies, either isolated or in tandem; monitor the ablated patient's course for complications and arrhythmia recurrence; and manage these problems should they arise. The chapters on lab staffing and equipment, pre-procedure preparation, and post-procedure care will be of special interest to... |
 |
Critical Care Compendium by Mind-Forge Education Services LLC This is a collection of Self Learning Modules and pocket guides. Below are some of the modules and pocket guides in this product. **A quick handy guide to quickly interpret the 12 lead electrocardiogram, identify ischemia, reciprocal changes and to quickly localize a myocardial infarction and involved coronary arteries. **A brief presentation on atrial fibrillation/flutter, optimal monitoring leads, causes and complications related to open heart surgery. **A brief over view of current Advanced Cardiac Life Support treatment algorithms. **ACLS 2006 Code Drugs: Detailed description of 2006 ACLS code drugs and drip charts. (Current for 2007) **A detailed guide to the autonomic nervous system with emphasis placed on parasympathetic and sympathetic involvement and pharmacological... |
|
Atrial Fibrillation - The Most Common Arrhythmia (Have A Heart Series) Starring: Dr. Gerry Maddoux Directed By: Mark Baer Also With: Dr. Gerry Maddoux (Writer), Mark Baer (Producer) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |