Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center Selected to Conduct Clinical Trial for Device to Treat Atrial Fi...( AUSTIN Texas Oct. 7 /- The Texas ...),Health

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David's Medical Center has been selected as one of only a few sites in the nation to participate in an FDA-approved clinical trial for a new device to treat persistent atrial fibrillation. TCAI, an international treatment, training and research center specializing in heart rhythm disorders, is a partnership between St. David's Medical Center and Texas Cardiovascular Consultants.

"This is just another example of how TCAI is leading the nation in pioneering new treatments for atrial fibrillation," Dr. Rodney Horton, electrophysiologist, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia, said. "We are proud to take part in this study that has the potential to greatly enhance the future treatment of A Fib."

Heart arrhythmias are very common, affecting more than two million people nationwide. Atrial fibrillation, or A Fib, is the most common heart arrhythmia. A Fib is a rhythm disorder that affects the electrical system, or "wiring," of the heart muscle. It is often treated with cardiac ablation -- a procedure that allows physicians to deliver energy directly to the heart muscle at precise points that trigger the arrhythmia, creating a lesion that blocks the pathway for the abnormal heart rhythm. The new study involves second generation software (Gen II) that uses a catheter believed to result in the formation of a more effective lesion.

"In the Gen II study, we are evaluating a revolutionary radiofrequency ablation catheter," Dr. Horton said. "This device is able to monitor the temperature at its tip, giving electrophysiologists the ability to better control the delivery of energy through the catheter and generate a more effective lesion." In traditional cardiac ablation, room temperature saline is injected through the catheter prior to the delivery of energy. Because standard catheters do not measure the temperature at the catheter's tip, overheating may occur, resulting in th
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