Sharjah: Doctors at Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah are introducing a new device for cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) patients.
The Dh3 million device, called EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System, is used in cardiac intervention operations.
The EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System gives a three-dimensional view of a patient’s heart, helping surgeons identify the site and origin of cardiac arrhythmias and abnormal heart rhythms, and treat the condition with a high success rate.
Introduced to the hospital by UAE President’s Initiatives and Ministry of Health, the device is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East, according to Dr Mohammad Majdy Mohammad Abbas, consultant and head of cardiac electrophysiology department.
It allows the delivery of radio frequency catheter ablation therapy, to treat heart rhythm abnormalities.
Dr Abbas said: “The new device is an electroanatomical navigation system used to view the electrical activity of the heart through real-time data on 3D, colour-coded cardiac maps.
“This new therapy has a high short-term success rate, low complication rate, and results in improved quality of life compared with other treatments,” Dr Abbas said.
Six patients have been treated through the new device, and all the procedures were successful, mainly cases with atrial fibrillation (abnormal impulses from upper heart chamber), Dr Abbas said.
“It is precise, reliable, accurate and it’s fast, especially for patients with complex substrate-based arrhythmias. The system provides highly detailed anatomical models and maps to enable diagnosis of a wide range of arrhythmias, guide therapy and provides expanded procedural options to tailor care for patients,” Dr Abbas said
“We reached 30 procedures with heart electrical problems last month. Our volume of patients is increasing from 80 to 100 out-patients per month from all around the UAE and abroad. Our patients are 70 per cent Emiratis and 30 per cent expatriates and our success rate is 98 per cent.”
The cost of the operation is Dh45,000.
