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Cardiac Arrhythmic Services
Your Gift Will
- Provide a cure for the arrhythmias suffered by many cardiac patients
- Bring this new service conveniently close to home for thousands of patients in the East Bay
Background
Arrhythmias are a disabling and sometimes deadly form of heart disease. New technologies are now revolutionizing treatment for this condition, one that affects both young and old.
Every year 300,000 to 500,000 sudden cardiac deaths occur in the United States. In many cases, an arrhythmia-an abnormal heart rhythm-is the main contributing factor. The most common arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, affects 15% of people over 65 years of age. Until recently, it was considered incurable and was treated with drugs and monitoring.
The Challenge:
3-dimensional electrophysiology mapping systems now enable physicians to actually cure some arrhythmias previously thought incurable. The new 3-D mapping technology allows doctors to pinpoint and cure even very small or complex areas of heart tissue causing atrial fibrillation.
Our existing two-dimensional mapping equipment is not precise enough to localize complex arrhythmias. With the new technology, the problem area of the heart can be precisely located, using a three-dimensional picture of the heart's electrical system on a computer screen. The physician can then treat even tiny areas of tissue.
Once the equipment is acquired, Alta Bates Summit will be the only medical center in Alameda County to offer this procedure, thus bringing it closer to home for thousands of patients who will benefit from this technology. Because of the great demands for purchasing and replacing biomedical equipment, the Medical Center must rely on donations to acquire this new technology. |
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