The Cardiac Catheterization Lab at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital is the only hospital in Arizona that offers 3-D radiation-free heart mapping.
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3-D radiation-free Carto 3 heart mapping is used to track irregular heartbeats to cure arrhythmias with radiofrequency abalation. It combines navigation, imaging and mapping capabilities to precisely locate catheters in the heart. 3-D radiation-free heart mapping is especially valuable for mapping complicated arrhythmias and process heart images into detailed 3-D models.
Arrhythmias affect an estimated 14.4 million Americans and can be targeted for ablation and potential cure. The most common type of treatment is atrial fibrillation, which involves the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart and affects two million people, especially those over 60.
How 3-D Radiation-Free Heart Mapping Is Performed
Envision the heart as both mechanical and electrical — it is a physical pump whose action is triggered by the body's electrical impulses. That's why heart disease can be caused by blood flow blockage or by electrical problems.
Using a magnetic system comparable to a GPS in your car, the 3-D radiation-free heart mapping creates a much-improved three-dimensional model of the heart, without X-rays. Catheters with miniature electromagnetic sensors in their tips allow electrophysiologists to create and manipulate a computerized 3-D map of a patient's heartbeat. The path that the heartbeat follows through cardiac tissue can be identified much more quickly and completely than previously was possible.
Tracking electrical activity in real-time allows a clear image on where to maneuver the catheters to reach the locations causing abnormal electrical impulses. Once there, the physician can quickly administer the radio frequency energy, a process that in most cases eliminates the arrhythmias.
The procedure usually takes less than a few hours and when successful, is a permanent cure.