HCA Florida Westside Hospital Team Executes Life-Saving VT Ablation Using ECMO Support

HCA Florida Westside Hospital Press Release

Plantation, Fla.- October 24, 2025- On Friday, October 3rd, a 44-year-old patient in HCA Florida Westside Hospital’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) presented in incessant VT and was rapidly deteriorating.
 
In a coordinated emergency response, Dr. David Kenigsberg, President of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, alongside Chief Medical Officer and cardiologist Dr. Veronica McCloskey, Cardiac Anesthesiologist Dr. Edward Parker, and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Kathir Subramanian, transferred the patient to the EP lab.The exceptional critical care provided by our intensive care physicians, Dr. Laura Miranda and Dr. Nillian Zamot who provided stabilization and support while the cardiology team led the advanced intervention, was the prime example of great collaboration.
 
Despite the patient being unstable as he cycled in and out of arrhythmia, the team supported by a perfusionist and ECMO technology—successfully mapped and ablated multiple foci of VT.
 
“This case exemplifies the power of collaboration and advanced technology in modern cardiac care,” said Dr. Kenigsberg. “Our ability to act swiftly and utilize ECMO support allowed us to perform a complex ablation under extremely unstable conditions.”
 
“This outcome reflects the strength of our multidisciplinary approach and our commitment to providing the highest level of cardiac care,” added Dr. McCloskey. “Every second mattered, and our team delivered.”
 
What is VT Ablation?
VT ablation (ventricular tachycardia ablation) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses catheters to deliver energy to small areas of heart tissue causing abnormal electrical signals. By destroying these problematic areas, the procedure helps restore normal heart rhythm and prevent life-threatening arrhythmias.
 
This extraordinary collaboration underscores HCA Florida Westside Hospital’s commitment to advanced cardiac care and saving lives through innovation and teamwork.

About HCA Florida Westside Hospital
Our healthcare facility has been serving the healthcare needs of people from Broward County, South Florida and around the world for 50 years. As a 24/7 comprehensive healthcare facility, our 250-bed hospital offers a full range of medical services, including emergency care, Comprehensive Stroke Center, orthopedics, cardiology, surgery and oncology. Our hospital is committed to offering advanced healthcare services with a compassionate, patient-focused approach in the Broward community.

About HCA Florida Healthcare 
HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 650 affiliated sites of care, including hospitals, physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As one of the state’s leading healthcare networks, HCA Florida Healthcare’s 11,100 experienced doctors and more than 84,000 colleagues work together to deliver equitable, evidence-based collaborative care through more than 12 million patient encounters annually. HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to the communities it serves. In 2024, the network provided more than $1 billion in uncompensated care and contributed more than $3.7 million to community organizations across the state. In addition, HCA Florida Healthcare offers patients access to highly trained specialists, including the state’s most comprehensive cardiovascular network. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Florida Healthcare is a leader in in training future healthcare professionals, offering 151 Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs at 27 different hospitals with more than 2,400 residents. For more information, please visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com