|
 |
|
Cardiovascular Services Launches Formal Program for Atrial Fibrillation Contact: Robby Channell, 601-968-5135 rchannell@mbhs.org Jackson, Miss. – February 21, 2008 – Effective February 1, 2008, Baptist Cardiovascular Services will begin operating a program focused on the care of patients with atrial fibrillation. The program will include all treatments currently recommended by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, including medical management, conduction studies, atrial fibrillation conduction pathway ablation or maze procedure, and device support as necessary. "With this program, we are the first in the state of Mississippi to bring together a formal program for the treatment of patients with afib," says Steve Jackson, Vice President for Clinical and Ambulatory Care. "The atrial fibrillation program will offer appropriate and timely therapy to patients in an individualized fashion based on the best tools available," said electrophysiologist Douglas A. Wolfe, MD, of Cardiovascular Associates. Baptist's program coordinates treatment with the physicians of Cardiovascular Associates to provide a structured approach to the evaluation of patients with afib. "We've had the various parts of the program for about a year," said Heather Sistrunk, RN, Director of Cardiovascular Services. "However, until now the processes have been disjointed. This program provides a systematic evaluation of these patients." The program is both physician referred and self-referred. A patient who wishes to self-refer can call the Baptist Health Line at 601-948-6262 or 1-800-948-6262. The Health Line has a list of qualifying questions to ask callers. Then as appropriate, they refer the callers to Cardiovascular Associates for follow up. Referring physicians should contact Cardiovascular Associates directly. The physicians at Cardiovascular Associates will do an evaluation of current treatments, including medications. If appropriate, they may order an electrical conductivity study to determine if other treatment options might exist. "Factors that will play into the evaluation and treatment include the severity of symptoms, type and duration of atrial fibrillation, patient age, presence of cardiovascular disease or other medical conditions, projected duration of therapy, and pharmacological and nonpharmacological options," explained Dr. Wolfe. "Although maintenance of sinus rhythm may be desirable in many patients, it is not always easy to achieve and drugs can be associated with side effects and proarryhthmia," added Dr. Wolfe. "The increasing success of catheter ablation to cure atrial fibrillation has added substantially to our armamentarium of therapies to maintain sinus rhythm. Also, surgery for atrial fibrillation therapy proves to be a viable option in selected patients." "Up until recently, we haven't had many treatment options for afib patients," Sistrunk said. "We could offer medications and an occasional cardioversion. Now, there's another step that might be possible for these patients, and in this process, we can determine who is a candidate for more aggressive therapies such as endocardiac ablation or surgical ablation." According to Jackson, Baptist is committing a lot of resources to the program. "We bought the necessary technology for the EP studies and ablations," he explained. "A portion of the new tower currently under construction will be focused on these patients. We've expanded our lab capabilities, increased our staff, and provided specialized staff training." "I would hope that this program will spur the interest of all physicians to have at least a general idea of care that can be “Atrial Fibrillation Program,” continued on pageoffered to their patients to improve the patients' quality of life and overall health," says Dr. Wolfe. "The design of this program is that referral should To learn more about Baptist's atrial fibrillation program, contact the Baptist Health Line at 601-948-6262 or 1-800-948-6262. |
|
