Offering the Most Advanced Technologies to Treat Heart's Electrical Problems
NEW ORLEANS - On January 12, 2010, from 12pm-1pm, the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute will celebrate the opening of one of the most advanced EP Labs in the region at 1514 Jefferson Highway, 3rd Floor Hospital. An EP Lab is a minimally-invasive setting in which studies and procedures of the heart's electrical system, abnormal heart rhythms or arrhythmias are performed without the need for open heart surgery. Ochsner's EP Labs are equipped with biplane x-ray technology, state-of-the-art rotational angiography, and 3D color mapping.
"Few EP labs offer all of these sophisticated services in one location and we're excited to be at the forefront of cutting-edge cardiac care," says Dr. Freddy Abi-Samra, Medical Director of the Ochsner Electrophysiology (EP) Labs. The combination of these technologies allows Ochsner Electrophysiologists to perform cutting-edge procedures such as implanting defibrillators and bi-ventricular pacemakers, performing atrial fibrillation as well as other complex ablations.
Biplane imaging allows cardiologists to view the heart in two dimensions-front to back or side to side-instead of a flat, one dimensional view. Dr. Abi-Samra explains how the EP Lab's technology assists in successful outcomes, "Biplane imagining is especially useful for complicated ablations, a non-surgical treatment for extremely rapid or irregular heartbeats caused by abnormal tissue that forms in the heart. Rotational angiography allows for live registration of electro-anatomic cardiac maps onto the actual fluoroscopic anatomy."
Ochsner's 3D mapping systems greatest value is during complex EP/ ablation studies where unhealthy heart tissue is destroyed in order to restore the heart's normal rhythm. 3D mapping allows physicians to map an arrhythmia in only a few heart beats which is especially useful with patients who are unable to tolerate rapid rhythms and in cases when the arrhythmia cannot be sustained long enough for adequate analysis.
Ochsner Electrophysiologists Dr. Freddy M. Abi-Samra, Dr. Sammy Khatib, Dr. Daniel P. Morin, Dr. Onajefe Nelson-Twakor and Dr. Chris Snyder are also using biplane technology for many advanced procedures such as the difficult biventricular internal cardiac defibrillator implantation and in patients with complex heart anatomy.
"This lab represents yet another excellent tool for Ochsner's cardiologists to help people in the fight against cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Chris White, Ochsner Chairman, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases.
Ochsner maintains a national and international reputation for excellence in heart disease management. In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked Ochsner as one of the 50 best hospitals in America in Heart and Heart Surgery. Recognized for its world-renowned medical team, breakthrough approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and technologically-sophisticated diagnostic and treatment capabilities, the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute offers a complete and comprehensive approach to the management of cardiovascular disease.
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