Revolutionary operation performed live for heart rhythm congress

October 21, 2008

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The array catheter. Credit: St Jude Medical Web site

A revolutionary heart operation technique using cutting edge technology will be performed on Monday 20 October and broadcast live to delegates at the Heart Rhythm Congress 2008 taking place in Birmingham.

The procedure to tackle heart rhythm disorder will be performed by Dr Andre Ng, Senior Lecturer in Cardiology at the University of Leicester and a Consultant Cardiologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

He will use technology that allows rapid and accurate location of the origin of the heart rhythm disturbance in a 3-dimensional geometry of the heart chambers and guides successful treatment with the use of catheter ablation.

Dr Ng said the procedure would highlight not only the advanced technology itself but also of the leading position his team at Glenfield Hospital in the management of heart rhythm disorders as well as the world-class research in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester.

Dr Ng said: "I have been invited to operate on a patient in a catheter ablation procedure as a live case demonstration at the coming Heart Rhythm Congress 2008. The meeting is the 2nd Annual Congress of the Heart Rhythm UK which is the national society for heart rhythm disorders.

"I will perform the ablation procedure using cutting-edge technology with advanced 3-dimensional mapping with the Ensite Array Catheter in Southampton and the procedure will be broadcast to the audience at the auditorium in the Congress at Birmingham during the morning of 20 October 2008.

"I am very pleased to be invited to perform the live ablation procedure. Although doing the procedure live can put extra pressure, especially considering the unexpected as anything could happen during the procedure, this is an excellent way of communicating and discussing specific aspects of the technology during the progress of the procedure."

Dr Ng has extensive experience in the management of heart rhythm disorders, especially in catheter ablation procedures and advanced mapping techniques. He is an expert in the use of the non-contact array balloon catheter (Ensite Array, St Jude Medical) in mapping the source of heart rhythm disturbance and identifying the location for ablation to cure the rhythm disorder.

Dr Ng has hosted 3 previous international Ensite Array courses at Glenfield Hosptial, University Hospitals of Leicester where live case demonstration of the use of this cutting-edge technology in different types of heart rhythm disturbance was shown to over 300 visiting physicians and cardiac technicians from many countries in Europe, Middle East and Canada.

Dr Ng leads a team of clinical and non-clinical researchers in active research programmes at the University of Leicester. His research focus is on cardiac arrhythmias and electrophysiology aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying different types of heart rhythm disorders which occur in normal hearts and in heart diseases. Much development has occurred in these areas over the past decade and the availability of new data have significant implications in the training of medical students and clinical trainees. The research results also relate directly to improving management of patients with heart rhythm problems and help develop new and effective ways of treatment.

Source: University of Leicester