Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston is among the first hospitals
in New Jersey to provide the state-of-the-art Sensei Robotic Catheter
System that is helping cardiologists place catheters in hard to reach
places in the heart anatomy and keep them there with more stability.
The new robotically-controlled catheter offers superior treatment for
atrial fibrillation, a common heart arrhythmia.
The robotic navigation system changes the way we perform complex minimally
invasive electrophysiology procedures,” said Marc Roelke, MD,
Director of Electrophysiology at the Saint Barnabas Heart Centers at
Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. “It
has the potential to dramatically improve the success rate of ablation.”
“Surgical robotic technology has proven to be a tremendous
advantage in the operating room and now similar precision and stability
are available in minimally invasive catheter-based procedures,” notes
John F. Bonamo, MD, Executive Director of Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “We
are proud to bring this advancement to patients in New Jersey.”
Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common heart rhythm disorder,
affecting more than 2.2 million Americans. Afib occurs when stray electrical
signals disrupt the body’s natural heart rhythm. It often produces
a rapid, irregular and disrupted heart rhythm that can cause fatigue,
lightheadedness, shortness of breath and other symptoms. People with
Afib may have an increased risk of stroke.
Ablation is an electrophysiology procedure in which the source of the
patient's heart arrhythmia is mapped, localized, and then destroyed
(ablated.) The small scar created is electrically inactive and cannot
generate heart arrhythmias. Prior to the introduction of robotic technology,
ablation was performed using a manual catheter technique that required
the cardiologist to perform complex catheter manipulations with inadequate
assurance that the tip of the catheter would respond as desired while
inside the patient’s heart.
The Atrial Fibrillation Center, located at both Saint Barnabas Medical
Center and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, is one of the highest
volume atrial fibrillation programs in the New Jersey. The Center’s
comprehensive approach to care includes a team of experienced cardiologists,
cardiac surgeons and electrophysiologists that provide a complete assessment
and treatment plan.
Some heart centers claim a high cure rate for Afib, but fail to follow-up
with patients after procedures are completed. The Atrial Fibrillation
Center, however, routinely measures the long-term success of treatment
by following-up with patients at regular intervals. It is the only center
in the region whose team includes an atrial fibrillation nurse practitioner
dedicated to tracking the overall success of therapies for people with
Afib. This growing database provides invaluable insight in to the most
effective treatments for Afib, based on long-term results.
For more information about the robotic catheter system or the Saint
Barnabas Atrial Fibrillation Center, please call 1-866-549-AFIB or
1-866-549-2342.
Date: July 14, 2009
Contact: Caren Malone
Public Relations Department
Saint Barnabas Health
Care System
973-322-4017, cmalone@sbhcs.com
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