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Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital is Among The First in Houston with a New Heart Arrhythmia Treatment

Houston, Texas, January 17, 2003 -- For the family of 72-year-old Marshall Spann, 2003 is looking brighter than ever. Recently, Spann, who has a history of congestive heart failure, was the first patient to undergo a new radiofrequency surgical procedure at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital to stabilize his heart's erratic rhythm.
   

The cardiovascular team at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital identified Spann as an excellent candidate for irrigated radiofrequency ablation with the Cardioblate® ablation pen, which eliminates the need to make incisions in the heart, as is done in traditional heart surgery. Irrigated radiofrequency ablation corrects atrial fibrillation, the most common cause of heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.

Spann underwent the speedy surgery in December and is comfortably recovering at home in Altair, Texas with no complications.

According to Dr. Luis Echeverri, the cardiovascular surgeon at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital who operated on Spann, the surgical pen uses irrigated radiofrequency energy to heat the affected heart tissue, producing lesions rather than incisions. Irrigated radiofrequency cardioblate surgical ablation technology provides surgeons with an easier and less invasive means of creating lesions in cardiac tissue. It also has a high success rate and low risk of complications.
   

"Irrigated radiofrequency ablation with the use of the cardioblate surgical ablation pen is an effective treatment option for patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation," says Echeverri.

The surgeon guides the cardioblate pen on the area of heart muscle where there's an accessory (extra) pathway. Then a mild, painless irrigated radiofrequency energy, similar to microwave heat, is transmitted to the pathway.This causes heart muscle cells in a very small area (about 1/5 of an inch) to die, preventing the area from conducting the extra impulses that cause rapid heartbeats.

Atrial fibrillation affects about 2.2 million people in the U.S. More than 160,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Chronic atrial fibrillation is associated with heart failure, blood clots, a five- to seven-fold increase in stroke and increased mortality from heart disease.

"Offering irrigated radiofrequency ablation to my patients gives them cutting edge technology to treat potentially life-threatening conditions," says Echeverri. "The role of this procedure is to add another tool for the management of complex conditions. Patients that return to sinus rhythm normally have a functional improvement and may avoid the need for long-term anticoagulation, use of blood thinners. There is also a significant decrease in stroke."

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