HOSPITAL GETS FIRST 3D HEART SCANNER.Byline: LIZA WILLIAMS A LIVERPOOL hospital Liverpool Hospital is a 660-bed public hospital located in south western Sydney, Australia. It is a teaching hospital of the South Western Sydney Clinical School (SWSCS) of the University of New South Wales (UNSW). has become the first in Britain to use a new 3D heart scanner. The technology, now on offer at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in Broadgreen, is so new it was only cleared by the US authorities three weeks ago. The equipment, called the Carto 3, will reduce the time it takes to operate on people with heart arrhythmia arrhythmia (ārĭth`mēə), disturbance in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. Various arrhythmias can be symptoms of serious heart disorders; however, they are usually of no medical significance except in the presence of . The condition means sufferers' hearts do not beat regularly. A procedure called ablation therapy ablation therapy See Ablation–cardiology. is used to treat the most common type of arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation atrial fibrillation Irregular rhythm (arrhythmia) of contraction of the atria (upper heart chambers). The most common major arrhythmia, it may result as a consequence of increased fibrous tissue in the aging heart, of heart disease, or in association with severe infection. (AF). Currently doctors rely on X-rays and the operation takes around four hours. Dr Dhiraj Gupta, Consultant Cardiac Physiologist at the hospital, says the time can now be halved halve tr.v. halved, halv·ing, halves 1. To divide (something) into two equal portions or parts. 2. To lessen or reduce by half: halved the recipe to serve two. 3. : "We have carried out four procedures so far and it has taken around two and a half hours or less. Once we are used to it I think we can regularly get it down to two. "We currently carry out 300 procedures a year, and we hope to increase this by 50% with this new equipment." Without the new scanner the procedure has around a 60-70% success rate and is less precise. Dr Gupta hopes this will now jump to more than 90%: "At the moment one in three patients have to have the procedure repeated, we hope this will be reduced significantly because the equipment makes it so much more accurate. "It also reduces the radiation exposure from the X-ray from 50 minutes to less than 30." Dad-of-three Raymond Allen Raymond Allen refers to two separate American actors.
co.uk/ After drugs failed to correct his heart beat Mr Allen was operated on yesterday. He said: "I''m really pleased with how the procedure went today. "From start to finish the team were really professional and made me feel at ease. "I am really relieved. Cardiac arrhythmia cardiac arrhythmia n. See cardiac dysrhythmia. Cardiac arrhythmia An irregular heart rate or rhythm. Mentioned in: Holter Monitoring, Stress Test cardiac arrhythmia means the heart does not beat regularly and as a result does not function properly. Sufferers can have difficulty with strenuous activities like exercise and if the condition isn't treated it can contribute to premature death Premature Death occurs when a living thing dies of a cause other than old age. A premature death can be the result of injury, illness, violence, suicide, poor nutrition (often stemming from low income), starvation, dehydration, or other factors. . AF is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia, and there is a one in four chance those over 40 will develop it at some point. MORE health news and www. During ablation therapy catheters, or small tubes, are sent into the blood stream, and travel to the heart. health A radio frequency is then sent through the heart to correct the irregular beat. The 3D image technology enables doctors to see these catheters more clearly and accurately. CAPTION(S): FIRST: Raymond Allen was operated on using a new 3D scanner, left, Dr. Dhiraj Gupta inside the Catheter Laboratory |
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