LOYOLA FIRST IN NATION TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT HEART-RHYTHM DISORDERS WITH 3-D REAL-TIME HEART “MAPPING” TECHNOLOGY

Imaging System Allows Electrophysiologists to Perform Complex Ablation Procedures with More Precision, Greater Safety

Specialists at Loyola University Health System are the first in the nation to use new ultrasound technology to guide ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), offering potential improvements in both the precision and safety of this therapy. AF is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder.

In treating AF with catheter ablation, cardiac electrophysiologists traditionally use standard X-ray technology to guide proper placement of radiofrequency energy to ablate the tissues (cause small areas of scarring) in the heart responsible for starting and maintaining the irregular rhythm. These physicians also generate a computer reconstruction of the heart’s interior, often with the help of pictures obtained from CT or MRI scans done prior to the procedure. While helpful, these reconstructions can be time consuming, difficult to produce, and expose patients to additional radiation.

With the newly installed software imaging technology, the CartoSound™ Image Integration Module and SoundStar™ 3D Catheter, Loyola physicians now are able to visualize and create a whole new kind of “map” of the heart in order to perform atrial ablation. They use ultrasound imaging to produce pictures of the heart during the ablation procedure. The ultrasound technique produces three-dimensional images of the heart’s anatomy within a few minutes at the bedside, and allows real-time, simultaneous monitoring of catheter position and orientation during the procedure, improving both precision and patient safety.

Dr. David Wilber, professor of cardiovascular sciences, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, said he and his team have used the new technology with 20 patients with “excellent results."

"The new 3-D ultrasound images provide a very detailed view of the heart, and most importantly, they reflect the condition of the heart during the procedure,” Dr Wilber explained. “This allows very accurate placement of lesions (the ‘scarring’) to assure elimination of the arrhythmia, while avoiding injury to important nearby structures. We can now image these structures with unprecedented accuracy continuously during the procedure.”

Patients experience shorter X-ray times, and physicians can create more precise ‘heart maps’ for the ablation,” Dr. Wilber noted. He added that “the technology also allows us to map both the right and left sides of the heart from the right atrium (right upper heart chamber) before we must move into the left side to complete the actual ablation (‘scarring’) procedure.” Dr. Wilber explained that with less time spent in the left side of the heart, the patient has a decreased risk of having a blood clot form during the procedure that could lead to a stroke.