A heart arrhythmia refers to the disorganization of the electrical impulses in the heart causing an irregular or rapid beat. AFib is an abnormal heart condition affecting more than 2.5 million Americans (more than the population of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland combined) and is considered one of the most common arrhythmia problems in adults over the age of 65.
"To successfully treat AFib, the actual source must be identified, as well as the triggering cells. The exact areas in the upper chamber of the heart responsible for maintaining fibrillation have historically proven to be elusive resulting in a lower success rate than desired and creating frustration for patients and physicians," said Susan Eisenberg, M.D., Cardiac Rhythm Center Medical Director at John Muir Health.
Clinical trials showed that 82.4 percent of patients treated using the FIRMap Catheter and 3D mapping technology were free of AFib after a single procedure versus 44.9 percent of those treated with the standard pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) approach. After three years, 77.8 percent of patients treated with the FIRM technology were free of AFib compared to 38.5 percent treated with the PVI approach.
The FIRMap Catheter, developed by Topera, Inc., is an innovative medical device that allows doctors to view specific areas in the heart, which could sustain an arrhythmia. This device, along with a ground-breaking 3D mapping system, has become essential when performing the progressive procedure known as FIRM Guided ablation, which strives to detect and neutralize the source of electrical impulses or "rotors" disrupting the heart’s normal rhythm.
Using this technology, the ablation procedure can target a patient-specific area of the heart, which is critical to that patient’s arrhythmia. The precision of the procedure ultimately aims to diminish recurrence rates among patients, thus generating a major feat in arrhythmia technology.
