- It is a complex procedure that resolves this pathology without the need to perform open surgery.
- The Electrophysiology service has carried out the first two interventions successfully
The Electrophysiology service of the Vinalopó University Hospital, from the health group Ribera, has incorporated into its portfolio of services a very rare technique that consists of reducing or eliminating the origin of ventricular tachycardia through the pericardium, that is, the sac that covers the heart, without the need to perform open surgery.
To date, two interventions of these characteristics have been carried out that have obtained successful results.
Ventricular tachycardias are a type of malignant tachycardia that can cause sudden death of the patient. To prevent this circumstance, an ICD (implantable automatic defibrillator) can be implanted. “There are occasions in which the patient with an ICD may present multiple consecutive electrical shocks due to these malignant tachycardias, which can deteriorate the patient's clinical status,” explains Dr. Luis González, head of the service.
This new procedure consists of eliminating the circuits that cause these tachycardias using a catheter that produces a radiofrequency. “This technique is considered a complex procedure in which the outer layer of the heart or epicardium is accessed through the bag that covers the heart (pericardium),” continues the doctor.
The epicardial approach is reserved for those patients who have the ventricular tachycardia circuits in the outermost layer of the heart and which cannot be reached from within with catheterization. Epicardial puncture constitutes a challenge as it is a complex technique and available only in selected centers in our geography.