James
P. Locher Jr., MD |
Dr. Locher First In Illinois To Perform Minimally Invasive AF
Procedure
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center is the only facility in Illinois to
provide its patients with a microwave ablation treatment called Thoracoscopic
Maze, a closed chest procedure, to treat atrial fibrillation (AF).
Cardiothoracic surgeon James P. Locher, MD, member of The Rockford
Surgical Service, and the Regional Heart Institute at OSF
Saint Anthony
Medical
Center, became the first surgeon in Illinois to use this innovative,
fast, safe, effective and minimally invasive FDA-approved technology
in July.
AF is a type
of heart arrhythmia affecting 2.2 million Americans. Symptoms include
rapid and/or irregular pulse. Normal heart rates range
from
60 to 100 beats per minute, but in AF the heart rate may be 100 to
175. Although less common, AF also can cause a pulse that is too
slow.
 AF is the result
of the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) quivering instead
of pumping in rhythm. AF can result
in blood pooling
in the atria and the formation of clots. A stroke results when
a blood clot leaves the heart and lodges in an artery in the brain.
About 15
percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.
"Until
recently, treating atrial fibrillation consisted primarily in
treating its symptoms with medications or medical devices such
as pacemakers,” said
Dr. Locher. “Recent advances in technology now provide
many people suffering from atrial fibrillation with the opportunity
to have their
condition cured. Being able to cure atrial fibrillation means
people
can not only be free of symptoms, but of the medications they
would otherwise have to take for the rest of their lives.”
 During
Thoracoscopic Maze surgery, Dr. Locher inserts a catheter through
a two-centimeter incision. The entire procedure results
in only three
of these tiny incisions. He watches a video monitor as he guides
a catheter around the pulmonary veins. Once the probe is in
place, Dr.
Locher uses a wand to direct a precise beam of microwave energy
to the source of the heart’s abnormal electrical activity.
Microwaves create tiny lesions that disrupt the chaotic electrical
current causing
irregular heartbeats. Most patients are discharged from the
hospital two days after the procedure.
About 80 percent
of people with permanent AF treated with microwave
ablation have no symptoms six months after the procedure.
The success rate continues to rise and reaches about 85 percent
after one year.
More than 5,000 procedures have been performed worldwide
with
no significant side effects.
Dr. Locher performs
this procedure alone or in conjunction with other cardiac surgeries.
For more
information or to
schedule a consultation,
call (815) 397-7900.
|
