CCF Heart Email Newsletter

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Posted by Henry Alken on November 09, 2002 at 18:40:59:

I receive the email newsletter "Heart" from CCF.
The following was included in today's mailing:

News on Atrial Fibrillation
Hearts can get out of rhythm. This condition may have many causes. One of them is a disorder called atrial fibrillation (AF). More than 2 million people in the United States suffer from AF, and 160,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. About 15 percent of all strokes occur in people with AF. The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center offers a broad array of treatment options through its new Center for Atrial Fibrillation. These options include:

Pulmonary Vein Isolation
Using a circumferential mapping technique, doctors locate abnormally firing electrical impulses in the pulmonary veins. Then, precise energy is delivered through a catheter to block the impulses. This procedure has an 80 percent first-time success rate, and a 93 percent success rate among those who require further treatment.

The Maze Procedure
Surgeons make incisions in both atria to isolate and stop the abnormal electrical impulses. The Center for Atrial Fibrillation is one of the most experienced facilities in the nation for this surgery. The operation has a 97 percent success rate at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center. There is also a minimally invasive version of this procedure for eligible patients.

For more information or to
schedule an appointment,
please contact the Heart Center Resource Nurse
toll-free 866/289-6911 or the Center for Atrial
Fibrillation 216/444-9162.

The Modified Maze Procedure
In these cases, the surgeon uses radiofrequency, microwave or a low-temperature probe to block the abnormal impulses of AF. These procedures are usually performed along with mitral valve surgery or other cardiac surgical procedures.

The Center for Atrial Fibrillation team employs other therapies as well, including pacemaker implantation and drug therapy.

To read the newsletter, go to:

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/newsletter/heartnewsletter_vol2num3_10_02.htm


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