(March 22, 2017) Beirut, Lebanon – The cardiac electrophysiology team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Department of Internal Medicine, performed a novel technique of cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation, a practical approach that ensures long-term safety and efficacy. The recent advent is completely curative in 80-85 percent of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
Developed to create a circular lesions set around each pulmonary vein in a relatively simple manner, the novel technique is considered as first-line therapy in symptomatic patients with recurring paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on anti-arrhythmic medication.
The novel procedure performed by Dr. Marwan Refaat, cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at AUBMC and Keserwan Medical Center, Associate Professor of Medicine at AUB Faculty of Medicine; and Dr. Bernard Harbieh, cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at AUBMC, Keserwan Medical Center, and CHN- Zgharta, and Instructor of Medicine at AUB, Faculty of Medicine has been increasingly used in the US and Europe for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, a common condition that causes irregular heart rhythm and that may lead to stroke and heart failure.
Atrial fibrillation afflicts six percent of people over 60 years old. During the pulmonary vein isolation, doctors insert catheters (long, flexible tubes) into the veins of the leg and guide the catheters into the left atrium under Intracardiac Echocardiographic guidance. The cryotherapy is delivered through the tip of a balloon to a tissue targeted for ablation, and it presents an alternative to antiarrhythmic drug therapy, considering patient choice, benefit, and risk.
Established by Dr. Maurice Khoury in 1996, the cardiac electrophysiology section at AUBMC has always been the leader in performing catheter ablation and in implementing new device therapies for the treatment of patients with heart failure and heart rhythm disease in Lebanon and the region.
“This procedure is another proof of AUBMC being on track of achieving its 2020 Vision, being the leading medical center in Lebanon and the region in using techniques and skills that help in saving lives,” commented Dr. Refaat.
