PATIENTS across the county suffering heart rhythm conditions are benefitting from new art technology which allows surgeons to pinpoint problems quicker and more accurately.
Patients with heart rhythm disturbance benefit from a procedure which involves inserting thin wire catheters into the groin and up to the heart.
Electrodes on the catheters help identify the cause of the heart rhythm problem.
Once this has been done the doctor can place one of the catheters at the source of the problem and remove the undesirable tissue.
The new Carto® 3 imaging system at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust uses electromagnetic fields to create three-dimensional images of a patient’s heart.
With this surgeons can rapidly map the heart to ensure accurate, real-time visualisation of the heart and wire catheters inside.
As a result, there is an increased success rate following the procedure and lower radiation dose for both patient and operator while also improving patient comfort.
Consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist, Dr Bashar Aldhoon, said: “The Carto® 3 system is very similar to a car’s navigation system that guides the driver with visual and audio cues to ensure safe parking.
Isobelle Batkin was the first patient to undergo a procedure using the Carto® 3 system last week – allowing cardiologists to identify her heart rhythm abnormality and successfully cured her that a previous procedure in another hospital using X-rays had been unable to pick up.
