Dr. Mazzei completes one of the first procedures in the US using the FlexAbility™ Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled™
March 14, 2017
Dr. Robert Mazzei of Columbia Heart Clinic is one of the first cardiologists in the US to utilize the FlexAbility™ Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled™, designed to improve the versatility and precision during cardiac ablation procedures to treat atrial flutter, a type of irregular heartbeat. Dr. Mazzei first utilized the FlexAbility™ catheter on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at Palmetto Richland Hospital, two days after the FDA gave approval.
Dr. Robert Mazzei was also recently one of the first cardiologists in the US to use the Ensite Precision Cardiac Mapping System, a next-generation platform designed to provide automation, flexibility and accuracy for diagnostic mapping used in ablation procedures to treat patients with abnormal heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias). The FlexAbility™ sensor enabled™ tool complements the Ensite Precision™ cardiac mapping system, and when used together allow physicians to create highly detailed 3-D cardiac models with the heart’s electrical activity overlaid on it. These models help the physicians identify the type of arrhythmia and the areas they should treat with the ablation catheter.
“I am so thrilled to be chosen as one of six physicians first selected to utilize the FlexAbility™ Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled™. The FlexAbility Catheter and the Ensite Precision Cardiac Mapping System are great options for patients with complex cardiac arrhythmias. With the catheter’s new ability to collect magnetic data integrated with the mapping system, it allows us to confidently provide procedural versatility and precision to our patients,” said Dr. Robert Mazzei.
Ablation catheters are used to help treat irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias. Arrhythmias may cause symptoms including palpitation and lightheadedness; some can cause stroke or even cardiac arrest. During an ablation procedure, catheters deliver energy to the tissue of the heart, creating small scars or lesions to areas that are responsible for the arrhythmias. These lesions are aimed at preventing abnormal electrical signals from entering the heart and, thus get the heart back on rhythm.
