At Sharp, we offer a full range of treatment options for patients with arrhythmias, or irregular heart beats. Our experienced team will help find the the best treatment plan to meet your needs.
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An arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, occurs when there is a change in the heart's electrical impulses. If the impulses are too rapid or too slow, the abnormal rhythm causes the heart to pump blood less effectively.
A common condition associated with arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AFib), which occurs when electrical signals in the upper heart chamber (atrium) fire incorrectly. As a result, the heart beats out of rhythm — which can cause clots to form and travel to the brain, possibly blocking flow and causing a stroke. The longer your heart beats abnormally, the more difficult it is to reestablish a normal rhythm. This is why it’s important to seek AFib treatment sooner rather than later.
Using advanced procedures and state-of-the-art technology, our compassionate team of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, electrophysiologists and nurse practitioners provides the extraordinary level of care Sharp is known for.
Advanced AFib treatment options
At Sharp, we offer a range of treatments for atrial fibrillation (AFib), including minimally invasive and surgical techniques. These options can dramatically reduce dependence on medications, reduce the risk of stroke and may even eliminate AFib entirely — allowing you to return to the activities you enjoy.
Catheter ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that scars small areas of heart tissue to block abnormal electrical signals and restore regular rhythm. Patients who undergo successful ablations have relief of AFib symptoms and may have a reduced risk of stroke.
In most cases, patients are admitted the morning of the procedure for an overnight hospital stay and are able to resume normal activities the next day.
Pulmonary vein isolation — also called pulmonary vein antrum isolation (PVAI) or atrial fibrillation ablation — is a specific type of catheter ablation and one of the latest technologies for treating AFib. Research has identified areas in the left atrium, specifically around the pulmonary veins, as the source of atrial fibrillation. In this relatively noninvasive procedure, doctors use radio waves (heat), cryoenergy (cold) or pulse field (electrical) energy to destroy the tissue surrounding the pulmonary veins in the left atrium to stop the abnormal electrical signals.
For some patients, irregular heart rhythm can be extremely dangerous and life threatening. These patients may be treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator device (S-ICD), which can prevent future life-threatening cardiac events, including sudden cardiac death.
In this procedure, the doctor implants the small device under the left or right collarbone. Once the device is in place, the doctor inserts small wires that lead from the device to the heart. If a life-threatening incident occurs in the heart's rhythm, the device automatically shocks the heart to return to a normal rhythm.
A portion of the left atrium is clamped off where blood clots tend to form, reducing the risk of stroke. This procedure is routinely performed along with maze or mini-maze. Patients can often stop taking blood thinners immediately after this procedure.
This procedure can be done surgically or more commonly through a minimally invasive transcatheter placement of the Watchman™ and Amulet™ devices.
For patients with AFib, blood thinners (also called warfarins or anticoagulants) are the most commonly prescribed treatment to reduce stroke risk. However, some patients can't tolerate long-term blood thinner use or the risk of bleeding complications.
Watchman and Amulet devices offer an FDA-approved alternative to blood thinners through a small, permanent implant. The implant closes off an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage to keep harmful blood clots from entering the bloodstream. This can reduce stroke risk, and, over time, patients may even be able to stop taking blood thinners.
Surgeons perform maze surgery to treat chronic AFib by creating a maze of new electrical pathways to let electrical impulses travel easily throughout the heart.
This surgical procedure creates a pattern of scar tissue in the upper chambers of the heart interfering with irregular electrical signals. Because patients with mitral valve disease often experience AFib, the maze procedure may be performed in combination with mitral valve surgery.
This minimally invasive procedure uses the successful techniques from the maze procedure, but does not require opening the chest, so patients experience a shorter recovery time and smaller incisions. Tiny incisions are created in the chest and an energy source is used to heat the tissue and create a lesion that blocks the arrhythmia's path.
A new, two-stage technique, hybrid maze combines a mini-maze and left atrial appendage occlusion performed by a surgeon with a catheter ablation performed by an electrophysiologist.
Sharp Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in San Diego — and one of only three in California — to offer this unique team approach to AFib treatment.
A variety of heart rhythm disorders can be controlled with an artificial pacemaker. A pacemaker delivers timed, electrical impulses to the heart muscles traditionally through a small device surgically placed in the chest with tiny wire leads. Traditional pacemakers have had only one or two leads that could pace just the ventricles or the atria. Now biventricular pacemakers use three leads to treat the delay in heart ventricle contractions.
Dual chamber leadless pacemakers are the latest innovation in pacemakers. During a minimally invasive procedure, devices that are smaller than traditional lead pacemakers are placed directly into the heart using a catheter-based delivery system inserted through a groin vein.
Anatomical mapping is a type of electrophysiology study that uses advanced technology to produce 3D images showing the electrical signals passing through the heart. Your doctor uses these images to identify the source of the arrhythmia.
Preventing stroke from AFib
Sharp atrial fibrillation patient Nick Waln discusses how the Watchman™ left atrial appendage closure device changed his life.
