May 29, 2003

VCU Medical Center cardiac electrophysiology program featured at national conference via live satellite feed

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By Michael Ford
University News Services

Using a three-dimensional system for mapping the heart, VCU physicians performed a cardiac ablation procedure that was broadcast live via satellite to an audience of electrophysiology experts -- cardiologists who focus on the heart's electrical activity -- attending an international conference.

Seen and Heard. Two video cameras, left foreground and upper right corner, follow Dr. Mark A. Wood during live ablation procedure from VCU. Linked by satellite, the cameras and microphones allowed Washington, D.C. conferees to see, hear and talk to Wood.
Seen and Heard. Two video cameras, left foreground and upper right corner, follow Dr. Mark A. Wood during live ablation procedure from VCU. Linked by satellite, the cameras and microphones allowed Washington, D.C. conferees to see, hear and talk to Wood.

Cardiac ablation uses radio frequency energy generated from a catheter, a thin flexible tube inserted into a vein and threaded into the chambers of the heart, to destroy the cardiac tissue producing an irregular rhythm.

Working from the electrophysiology lab on the third floor of the VCU Medical Center's Gateway Building, 1200 E. Marshall St., Mark A. Wood, M.D., associate professor, cardiology division, internal medicine and Pugazendhi Vijayraman, M.D., assistant professor, cardiology division, internal medicine, were able to verbally interact with colleagues attending the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) conference, held at a Washington, D.C. hotel on May 14.

Kenneth A. Ellenbogen, M.D., professor, cardiology division, internal medicine and director of cardiac electrophysiology at VCU, served as moderator of an expert panel that was located in D.C., watching the live satellite feed of the procedure and the 3-D mapping technology developed by Medtronic called LocaLisa. LocaLisa is a computer system that visualizes the position of catheters within the heart without using x-ray. This allows the physician to electronically mark multiple affected sites in the heart before beginning an ablation procedure to restore normal cardiac function. The electronic tags show up as colored spheres in the virtual space of the heart on a monitor.

3-D Mapping. The LocaLisa Intracardiac Navigation System provides a virtual map of troubled cardiac tissue by calculating a catheter's position in the heart and marking the spot as a sphere.
3-D Mapping. The LocaLisa Intracardiac Navigation System provides a virtual map of troubled cardiac tissue by calculating a catheter's position in the heart and marking the spot as a sphere.

"The LocaLisa system makes it possible to map dozens of trouble spots in the heart and successfully find them again when it's time to treat them," Wood said. "Participating in the D.C. conference from Richmond was an honor. The VCU team was asked to perform the demonstration due to our familiarity with LocaLisa, experience at cardiac ablation and our new electrophysiology lab."

Physicians performing ablation traditionally use a fluoroscope, a type of x-ray targeting the heart, to manipulate the catheter. The new system can reduce the radiation exposure to patients undergoing ablation procedures.

The live satellite feed was organized and provided by Medtronic to highlight LocaLisa to the NASPE conferees.

Down and Out. A crew from New England Satellite arrived at the hospital at 6 a.m. to run cables from the third floor of the Gateway Building allowing pictures and sound to travel down a stairwell and out to the truck, which beamed the images to a communications satellite in the southern sky. Photos by Joe Kuttenkuler, University News Services
Down and Out. A crew from New England Satellite arrived at the hospital at 6 a.m. to run cables from the third floor of the Gateway Building allowing pictures and sound to travel down a stairwell and out to the truck, which beamed the images to a communications satellite in the southern sky. Photos by Joe Kuttenkuler, University News Services