Community Health: Arrhythmia & Atrial Fibrillation
20 February 2020
We recorded today’s episode from the conference room at Medical Office Building II on the campus of Winchester Medical Center as part of our community health series in partnership with Valley Health.
Our conversation with Dr. Daniel Alexander, cardiologist and electrophysiologist included discussion about arrhythmia and Atrial Fibrillation causes, symptoms and treatments. We talked about the wide range of treatment options that include:
- Controlled electric shock (cardioversion)
- Medications
- Pacemakers to regulate irregular heart rhythms
- Implantable defibrillators which provide automatic heart rhythm correction
- Ablation to physically correct the source of the electrical abnormality of the heart, restoring a regular heartbeat
While ablation once required open chest surgery, Dr. Alexander explained the procedure can be performed through minimally invasive surgery using wires and catheters inserted through vessels in the leg. Ablation can be performed in 3 ways:
- Cryoablation uses a freezing balloon catheter to correct electrical conductions within the heart.
- Radiofrequency ablation uses heat energy from a special catheter to correct electrical conductions within the heart.
- Hybrid surgical ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that combines catheter ablation on the inside of the heart with minimally invasive surgery to access the outside portions of the heart tissue.
For more information about heart rhythm disorders, visit the Valley Health website: https://www.valleyhealthlink.com/our-services/heart-vascular/conditions-treatments/heart-rhythm-disorders/
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