St. Luke’s Medical Center is First in Texas to Use the FDA-Cleared FIRMap ™ Catheter in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) announced today that it’s the first hospital in Texas to begin treating patients who suffer from arrhythmia - more specifically atrial fibrillation (AFib) - with a new procedure that features the FDA-cleared FIRMap Catheter.
Arrhythmia refers to the imbalance of electrical impulses spreading through the body causing the heart to beat at an unsteady rate of either too fast, too slow, or spontaneously. The most common type is AFib, which is an abnormal heart condition affecting approximately 2.66 million Americans and is considered one of the most common irregular rhythm disorders in adults over the age of 65.
To effectively treat heart rhythm abnormalities, the source of the problem must be identified. SLMC employs a revolutionary 3-D heart mapping technology, which pinpoints the source of the electrical impulses disrupting the heart’s normal rhythm - allowing for more effective diagnosis of and treatment planning for a variety of arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia.
“This is an exciting and new technology for mapping what is a complex arrhythmia, which has the potential to revolutionize the approach for atrial fibrillation” said Abdi Rasekh, MD, FACC, St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Under the leadership of Dr. Ali Massumi, Dr. Mehdi Razavi and I, we have performed five successful rounds of procedures with favorable results.”
The FIRMap Catheter, developed by Topera, Inc., is an innovative medical device that allows doctors to view specific areas in the heart, which could sustain an arrhythmia. This device, along with a ground-breaking 3D mapping system, has become essential when performing the progressive procedure known as FIRM Guided ablation, which strives to detect mechanisms causing the issue.
Through adoption and implementation of the FIRM Guided ablation procedure, patients with AFib will now be able to save valuable time by reducing physician visits and complement the use of alternative procedures, such as pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The precision of the procedure ultimately aims to diminish recurrence rates among patients, thus generating a major feat in arrhythmia technology today.
Currently, there are various practices and developments intending to treat AFib. However, FIRM ablation seeks to obtain a more efficient treatment process for patients resulting in sustainably improved outcomes. The precision of the procedure allows doctors to pinpoint causes of AFib and reduce re-ablation rates for patients.
If you would like to obtain more information or make an appointment with a physician specializing in the FIRM Catheter ablation, contact the St. Luke’s Referral Center at 832-355-3627.
