A 75-year-old woman with a history of open heart surgery was successfully treated for abnormal heart rhythm using a minimally invasive procedure. The condition, known as arrhythmia, is a disturbance caused in the normal electrical activation of the heart. This further results in abnormal heart rates such as faster heart rates, or extremely slow heart rates or irregular heartbeats.

The woman had previously undergone a complex heart surgery for a congenital heart defect in her thirties. The woman’s heart had three upper chambers instead of the usual two upper chambers and two lower chambers. She experienced usual symptoms of arrhythmia - extreme tiredness, palpitation, and dizziness.

“This minimally invasive procedure utilises a 3D cardiac mapping system which aids in discovering the diseased area in the heart that harbors the abnormal electrical signals without the use of potentially harmful x-rays. The high definition (HD) mapping catheter is passed from the groin to the heart and radio-frequency (RF) wave is used to ablate the abnormal electrical circuit causing heart rhythm disturbances,” said Dr. Sakthivel R, Cardiologist, Kauvery Hospital, Chennai.

While a minimally invasive procedure is much more effective than treating the condition through medication, performing it on a patient who had undergone a corrective heart surgery previously can be cumbersome and involve a lot of risks, the hospital said in a press release.

The woman was discharged on the third day without any complications and has recovered from heart arrhythmia. She has also discontinued her medications for the condition, according to the press release.