Hybrid Procedure Offers New Option for Those with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

For two years, entrepreneur and recreational hockey player Deron Siddons was unable to take to the ice, and even considered quitting his job, because an arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation caused his heart to beat erratically for up to 48 hours every week. Today, thanks to an innovative minimally invasive hybrid ablation procedure that represents a new treatment option for patients with chronic or difficult-to-treat atrial fibrillation, Deron’s heart is beating normally. He’s also back on the ice, touring with his Hockey North America team and coaching his son’s Montclair Hockey Club team. The Valley Hospital is among the few hospitals in the New York metropolitan area to offer a new, minimally invasive hybrid approach to restore normal heart rhythm in even the most difficult to treat patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. The hybrid approach combines the skills of a cardiac surgeon and an electrophysiologist, who work side-by-side to block the abnormal electrical signals emanating from the heart’s left atrium. The procedure is performed through a small incision in the abdomen and several small punctures in the groin in the electrophysiology suite, not an operating room. The procedure is not available at any other hospital in Bergen County, most of New Jersey, and even in Manhattan. “Three other types of ablation procedures had failed to put my heart back into a normal rhythm, so I was almost ready to quit my job” says Deron. “I couldn’t exercise, my quality of life was terrible, and the fear of a stroke loomed over me at all times. Now, I have my life back to enjoy with my wife and four children.” Cardiac surgeon Jason Sperling, M.D., and electrophysiologist Jonathan Steinberg, M.D., Director of the Valley Arrhythmia Institute (part of The Valley Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute) in performed Deron’s procedure — called a hybrid ablation — together. Atrial fibrillation (also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. An estimated 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib, according to the American Heart Assocation. In some most cases, normal heart rhythm can be restored with medication or a standard catheter ablation procedure. But many some times, the Afib is more persistent and does not respond to these first-line treatments. Many of these patients have had continuous Afib for more than one year, may have failed one or more catheter-based treatments, and currently take antiarrhythmic and anticoagulant medications. The persistent Afib interferes with the patient’s quality of life and can even lead to feelings of depression. To date, effective options in these patients have been limited; thus, for many this has meant learning to live a life in Afib. This is an exciting advancement for the treatment of atrial fibrillation because it targets long-suffering patients who may have failed other forms of treatment. To date, all patients who have undergone the procedure at Valley have been restored to a normal heart rhythm, a 100 percent success rate that is most notable because these patients’ arrhythmias were extremely challenging. “Through ongoing clinical research with industry partners and other heart centers, we are working toward best practices to define the correct amount of ablation needed to treat all forms of atrial fibrillation optimally,” notes Suneet Mittal, M.D., Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at The Valley Hospital. For more information, or to find out if you are a candidate for the hybrid ablation procedure, please call 201-HEART DR (201-432-7837) in NJ or 212-HEART DR in NYC.