Quick fix for heart

Better than medication

A ONE-off day procedure can eradicate a common heart condition, which is a leading cause of stroke and heart failure, and also repair heart function and remove the need for lifelong medication in most patients with a dangerous irregular heartbeat.

Researchers at The Alfred and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute have found that cardiac ablation, in which a small section of the heart is “scarred” via a catheter thread up from the groin, could eliminate atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure.

Lead researcher and head of electrophysiology at The Alfred and Baker Institute, Professor Peter Kistler, said the study aimed to improve treatment for the one-third of people with AF, where this rapid heartbeat is believed to be the cause of their heart failure.

More than 400,000 Australians have an irregular heart beat, including 10 per cent of those aged over 75 years, and it is the leading cause of stroke.

In the study, co-led by PhD fellow Sandeep Prabhu, 66 patients who continually have an irregular heartbeat were given either cardiac ablation or standard medication.

Both groups were assessed six months later for heart function and quality of life.

The study found that while all patients improved, almost 60 per cent of ablation patients had normal heart function at rest and after exercise, compared to 9 per cent of those receiving medication.

Ablation also reduced the need for implantable defibrillator by almost a third.

“By reinstating the normal rhythm, the muscle is no longer overworked and the heart recovers very quickly,” Prof Kistler said.

Prof Kistler said with national clinical guidelines being revised, he expected their findings would quickly change practice internationally.