Immediate (Friday, June 25, 2004)

Collin Parker
Fletcher Allen Public Affairs
802-847-2886

New Hope for Patients with Irregular Heartbeats

Fletcher Allen Health Care Team, Remodeled Lab Boost Electrophysiology Success

BURLINGTON, VT - Patients with irregular heartbeats are benefiting from an expert electrophysiology team and a newly remodeled treatment lab at Fletcher Allen Health Care.

A unique feature of the lab is a special area designed expressly for the education of other physicians from around the country.  Fletcher Allen's electrophysiology team is frequently called upon for their expertise.

Electrophysiology is the study of the heart's electrical currents and the treatment used to correct any irregularities.  Those irregularities include atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes the heart to quiver very rapidly instead of beating steadily.  The American Heart Association estimates that almost three million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia.

While many patients with atrial fibrillation are treated with medication, a growing number are now being treated with a procedure called radiofrequency catheter ablation, developed in the 1980s at the Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Institute at the University of Oklahoma (CARI).  The electrophysiology team at Fletcher Allen includes: Peter Spector, MD, Daniel Lustgarten, MD, and Research Associate James Calame, all of whom served on the faculty at CARI prior to their arrival at Fletcher Allen; and Mark Capeless, MD, the founder of Fletcher Allen's cardiac arrhythmia service.

"I feel 100% better after having the ablation," says Bob Wood of Saranac Lake, New York.  Wood was successfully treated at Fletcher Allen in October after two prior ablations performed elsewhere both failed.  "I haven't had any problems since [coming to Fletcher Allen].  I have a lot more energy, and I'm spending a lot of time catching up on my fly fishing."

During an ablation, the electrophysiology team inserts a series of catheters into the patient's heart.  One catheter has a tip that targets specific areas of the heart with high-temperature radiofrequency energy.  The resulting scar tissue prevents the irregular flow of electricity, returning the patient's heartbeat to normal.

To further assist in the care of patients with atrial fibrillation, Fletcher Allen has recently completed remodeling its electrophysiology lab, designed to ensure patients have access to the best care possible.

The treatment of patients through the use of modern-day electrophysiology, including complex ablations, requires the coordinated skill of the entire care team, and the remodeled lab at Fletcher Allen was designed with that as a determining factor.  Sight lines are improved and the "open" quality of the lab allows better, more efficient communication.  Fletcher Allen has also installed the latest digital mapping equipment, as well as a new biplane X-ray, which affords significantly more detailed views of the patient's heart, aiding the physicians during diagnosis and the ablation procedure.