Patient Benefits Come from Innovative Fluoroless Ablation with Same Day Discharge

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in adults, and it is associated with increased mortality and an increased risk of heart failure, dementia and stroke. Atrial fibrillation ablation has emerged as the most effective way of controlling the arrhythmia and its effects. Randomized data that was lacking for years now has cemented the knowledge that atrial fibrillation ablation is associated with a reduced morbidity in patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction, and a reduced mortality in those with the arrhythmia and a depressed cardiac function.

The Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute is one of a handful of centers in the U.S. that does every atrial fibrillation ablation procedure without the use of fluoroscopy.

The process of manipulating catheters inside of the heart has traditionally been done under direct visualization using X-ray — therefore exposing the patient to radiation. At Memorial, we have developed our own technique to perform the entire procedure without using X-ray — therefore, without ever exposing our patients to the potentially damaging effects of radiation, while ensuring the same level of effectiveness of the procedure.

"Our ability and unique workflow allow us to navigate inside the heart using ultrasound and a mapping system, being able to achieve the same results while maintaining a higher safety profile, as the potentially damaging effects of radiation are completely removed from the equation," says Daniel Benhayon, MD, an electrophysiologist at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute.

We also discharge the patient the same day 87% of the time, allowing us to ensure a more comfortable experience for our patients and a safer experience in general, as hospital stays are known to increase the risk of nosocomial infections, something that has been dramatically exacerbated now in times of COVID-19.

Our experience with both straightforward and the most complex of atrial fibrillation ablations, along with our track record of superb outcomes and safety, has made our Atrial Fibrillation program a Center of Excellence and a referral center for those patients that have recurrent atrial fibrillation post atrial fibrillation ablation.