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UNC Hospitals now offers catheter-based treatment for atrial fibrillation
CHAPEL HILL - UNC Hospitals now offers heart patients a new minimally invasive treatment option for atrial fibrillation, which is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting up to 2.5 million people in the U.S.
Oct. 22, 2007
UNC Hospitals now offers catheter-based treatment for atrial fibrillation
CHAPEL HILL - UNC Hospitals now offers heart patients a new minimally invasive treatment option for atrial fibrillation, which is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting up to 2.5 million people in the U.S.
Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which misdirected electrical signals cause the two upper chambers of the heart to quiver instead of pumping effectively. People with atrial fibrillation sometimes have extremely fast resting heart rates, as high as 160 beats per minute. Medication effectively controls the problem for most patients, but a significant number require a more active form of intervention.
Until recently, that has meant traditional open heart surgery or newer, minimally invasive surgical techniques. But now a cathether-based procedure, called radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation, can correct the problem with even less pain and discomfort for the patient and faster recovery times than the most advanced surgical approaches, said Dr. Paul Mounsey, a new faculty member in the UNC Division of Cardiology who performs the ablation procedure.
“Most patients who receive radiofrequency ablation are able to go home from the hospital the next day,” Mounsey said. “Those with non-physical jobs can return to work right away. Those with jobs that require extensive use of the legs may need a few days to recover from soreness around a very small incision in their upper thigh.”
During the radiofrequency ablation procedure, up to 4 or 5 catheters (small plastic tubes) are threaded from the groin area through the veins and into the atria, or upper chambers of the heart. Once a catheter has reached its intended destination, a small metal tip is heated with electrical current to create small burns at very precise locations within the heart. These burns then create a barrier that essentially redirects the misdirected electrical signals, preventing them from causing further problems. Once the procedure has been completed, many patients experience a return to normal heart rhythms. The ablation procedure is effective in approximately 70 to 80 percent of patients, Mounsey said, which is similar to success rates for the surgical approaches as well.
“What we are offering here at UNC Hospitals with radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation is at the absolute cutting edge of what is currently possible,” said Dr. Cam Patterson, UNC’s chief of cardiology. “Only a limited number of medical centers nationwide perform this procedure. So we are very pleased to offer this expansion in treatment options to the people of North Carolina.”
Persons who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and would like to be evaluated for treatment at UNC Hospitals may call (919) 966-4743 to request an appointment.
Mounsey was recruited to UNC this year from the University of Virginia, where he helped create UVA’s highly regarded atrial fibrillation ablation program. A native of England, Mounsey completed a Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of London in 1983 and graduated in Medicine from Oxford University in 1987. He completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at the Oxford University Hospitals, and did his Fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at the Northern Regional Cardiovascular Center, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He completed his training in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Virginia (1993-1994), and joined the faculty at UVA in 1996.
Management of patients with atrial fibrillation is Mounsey’s main clinical interest. Mounsey’s clinical research interests are dominated by new developments and innovative strategies for radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation.
Media contact: Stephanie Crayton, (919) 966-2860 or scrayton@unch.unc.edu
ABOUT UNC HEALTH CARE
The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, which is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in six specialties by U.S. News & World Report and ranked one of the country’s 41 best on the Leapfrog 2007 Top Hospitals list; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County. UNC Health Care also manages Chatham Hospital in Siler City.
