Dr. Rod Passman, MD, Professor of Medicine, and Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Northwestern Medicine talks about a new technique to find and treat heart arrythmia.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in April 2022.
What is heart arrythmia and how can this new technology treat it?
DR PASSMAN: There are many different types of abnormal heart rhythms. There are some abnormal rhythms like atrial fibrillation that typically occur as we get older. And because the population is aging, we see a lot of atrial fibrillations. Some rhythm abnormalities you’re born with, some develop over time, some occur as part of the aging process, and some are provoked by things that we door don’t do. For example, we know that lack of exercise, drinking excessive alcohol, and not getting a good night’s sleep – all those things can contribute to abnormal rhythms of the heart. For many abnormal rhythms, people feel palpitations. They may feel their heart is racing. They may be doing nothing, yet their heart rate is very rapid. In some cases, they may feel fatigued or short of breath when they exert themselves. But some abnormal rhythms can be dangerous, even though you don’t feel them. They can predispose you to heart failure or stroke. Therefore, it’s very important that we get a good routine exam to look for these abnormal rhythms. So, in some cases, people know when they have abnormal heart rhythms. But as I mentioned, in many cases, people may not know they have them. And unfortunately, some of these abnormal rhythms can be life-threatening in nature, some can cause the heart muscle to weaken, and you could develop heart failure, and some can predispose you to stroke. So, while many abnormal heart rhythms are benign and may cause you only to feel skip beats or extra beats, sometimes the consequences can be quite serious. In the past, we diagnosed heart rhythm disorders with monitoring the rhythm of the heart. And that can be done with an EKG, or it can be done with a wearable monitor that your doctor prescribes. Today there are consumer-grade devices called digital health devices, like a watch, that can record abnormal rhythms of the heart. For those with abnormal rhythms, one of the treatment options is to do a procedure called ablation, where we go into the heart and find the source of the abnormal rhythm and then eliminate it with a catheter. And this is done through a minimally invasive approach, through small puncture sites. And traditionally, we can create a three-dimensional image of your heart in real time and understand where these abnormal rhythms start from and then, use target the source of the abnormal rhythm. And up until recently, it would take a long time to get a few dozen points to try to understand the origin of your individual abnormal rhythm, but this new technology allows us to get tens of thousands of points in matter of miniatures. And this allows us to target these abnormal rhythms quickly, safely, and more accurately, with the ultimate goal of extending the life and improving the quality of life of the people that we take care of. So basically, by sending very low levels of magnetic and electrical signals through the body, we could create a three-dimensional animation of your heart, and we could understand not only the health of the electrical tissue of the heart, but where the abnormal rhythm is originating from and what path it’s taking. And by putting together all this technology and the tens of thousands of data points that we accumulate; we can then develop a very personalized approach to your abnormal rhythm and eliminate the source of the abnormal rhythm quickly and safely. This technology has been evolving over the last 20 years or so. And what’s happened is that the processing speed and the amount of information has just grown exponentially. This also means that the types of procedures we can do, the types of abnormal rhythms that we can treat, the success rate and the safety has improved as a result of this technology. More and more, we’re recognizing that these abnormal rhythms of the heart can have serious consequences over a lifetime. People with abnormal heart rhythms and those at risk of abnormal rhythms, usually those over 65 years of age, should be evaluated by a physician and if diagnosed with one of these disorders, be treated with appropriate therapies to prevent some of these serious consequences from occurring.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Megan McCann
(321) 926-5900
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here
