NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobbie Boyd, Director of Public Relations
& Community Outreach
Advanced Cardiac Specialists
Cell Phone: (602) 570-7069 E-mail:
bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com
New Technology Combines Defibrillator and Pacemaker
using Three Leads
Enhanced Treatment to Help
Congestive Heart Failure Patients and
to Prevent Sudden Death
Phoenix (February 6,
2002) - February 3, 2002 a new procedure was performed whereby a defibrillator
with a pacemaker with multiple contact points or leads was surgically implanted
in a patient. The pacemaker has a multi-site pacing lead at three different
points on the heart. This device sends
an electrical impulse to regulate the heartbeat should it become
irregular. Should the patient’s heart
suddenly stop beating all together, the defibrillator will shock the heart at
potentially two different points to cause the muscle to begin beating
again. With such a condition, the heart
must be shocked, even if cardiopulmonary resuscitation is performed, to cause
it to begin beating again. Otherwise
the person could suddenly die.
In addition to preventing
sudden death, this combination of technologies is appropriate for Congestive
Heart Failure patients has been shown to improve symptoms due to a stimulation
of the right and left heart at the same time.
This procedure usually
takes 4 – 6 hours. Due to the new
sheath technology used, it was completed in 3 hours. The new sheath better facilitates the implant of the third lead. The patient had no complications.
Ashok Garg, M.D. performed the Electrophysiology study. Dr. Garg is with Advanced Cardiac Specialists, a statewide Cardiology and Internal Medicine practice.