Vast Experience + Advanced Technology Help Ensure Safety and Success in Surgery

Atrial fibrillation, or Afib, is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Normally, cells in the right upper chamber of the heart, or right atrium, send electrical signals which cause the heart to pump blood. When in fibrillation, the atria fire rapidly and erratically resulting in an irregular heartbeat.

We can treat patients with anti-arrhythmic medications. However, many people require more advanced treatment with a catheter ablation procedure.  During this procedure, we thread a catheter through a vein in the leg up into the heart to cauterize and scar the abnormal tissue.  

Essentially, we are isolating the abnormal pieces of heart tissue from the rest of the heart.

In the upper left chamber, or left atria, abnormal electrical activity throws both upper chambers of the heart into a rapid, erratic rhythm causing Afib. To get to the problem spots, we first thread the catheter through the leg into the right atria, and then push a needle through the septum that divides the top two chambers of the heart. The catheter then enters the left atria. The ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that ablates or burns the source of the erratic electrical signals that cause the problem, thus typically ending their ability to cause Afib.

There are always issues related to putting anything in the left side of the heart. It’s the side that pumps blood to the rest of the body, including the brain, which means there is a risk of stroke.

To greatly reduce this risk, we use blood thinners during the procedure as well as the latest technological advances, in this case combining ultrasound with 3D computer mapping to minimize the chance of complications. This means I see everything both live from an ultrasound catheter within the heart and with a real-time, highly precise computer-generated map of the left atrium. This technology also dramatically reduces the radiation exposure to the patient needed during the procedure to a fraction of that used at most other centers. We are currently training other physicians from around the country in using this ultrasound based technique during Afib ablation.

My colleague, Dr. Tony Magnano, and I at Diagnostic Cardiology Associates (DCA) are among the most experienced atrial fibrillation specialists in the region, highly practiced in using these advanced tools.  We have been using 3D ultrasound mapping since 2007 when I did the first case using this technology in the United States. Last year, we performed more than 350 of these ablation procedures, and are on pace to do even more in 2012, making us one of the highest volume centers in the Southeast. More than 75% of my practice focuses on this procedure. Our experience is giving numerous patients the opportunity to live active and healthy lives again.

-- Saumil Oza, MD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist (EP) with Diagnostic Cardiology Associates (DCA), who practices at St Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, FL.