Deborah’s new technology is ‘GPS for the heart’
Dr. Raffaele Corbisiero (second from right) – flanked by the electrophysiology team at Deborah Heart and Lung Center – displays an image created by the VIVO System. – DEBORAH HEART AND LUNG CENTER
Electrophysiology specialists at Deborah Heart and Lung Center are now using what the team has dubbed “GPS for the heart,” according to a Dec. 19 announcement.
The new technology, the VIVO System from Catheter Precision Inc., is designed for patients with a condition called ventricular tachycardia – or an abnormal rhythm in the lower chambers of the heart.
Deborah said it is the first cardiac center in the state to use the technology.
The VIVO system provides GPS-like mapping that pinpoints the exact location of the heart arrhythmia, allowing the Deborah team to use cardiac ablation to treat the arrhythmia.
Dr. Raffaele Corbisiero, Deborah’s chair of electrophysiology, said it is a noninvasive procedure that requires only light sedation.
The new technology “provides us with a highly detailed three-dimensional image of the heart with a superimposed activation map that is unique to each patient,” Corbisiero added in a statement.
Symptoms of ventricular tachycardia include a pounding heart rate, chest pain, lightheadedness and shortness of breath.
“This is a very serious cardiac abnormality that can lead to stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest. It absolutely requires treatment,” Corbisiero said, adding that the precision of the new VIVO technology “ensures that patients will not have to return for a redo of their procedure if we miss the mark.”
“Probably 10-15% of the heart arrhythmia patients we see have a ventricular problem. That is a significant population that will benefit from this mapping, which not only ensures precise placement of the radiofrequency energy, but saves us procedure time, improves our patient safety, and most importantly, improves our patient outcomes,” Corbisiero said.
The Browns Mills health care provider, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, has unveiled several innovations in the past few months, including new robotic tech for spotting lung cancer, an implant used to treat sleep apnea and pacemaker system for the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms.
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