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ShareScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2005) — A recent study published in Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology (PACE) determined that the use of catheter ablation to treat supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is not detrimental to patients. This data refutes previous evidence which suggested a high incidence of injury to a patient's cardiac nerves, possibly resulting in accelerated heart rates following the procedure.
This research, supported in part by the National Institute of Health and led by Steven M. Markowitz at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center assessed the function of cardiac nerves in patients undergoing catheter ablation with radiofrequency energy. It was determined that no significant injury occurs to cardiac nerves as a result of ablation, and changes in heart rate during the procedure are transitory and are related primarily to medications and other procedural variables.
Catheter ablation has become a standard therapy for SVT which is an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm including such specific conditions as atrial fibrillation, AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
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About the Author
Dr. Steven M. Markowitz, is in the Division of Cardiology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. In addition to being past president of the New York Cardiology Fellows Association and a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology, he is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians and the Heart Rhythm Society/NASPE.
This article is published in Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology.
About the Journal
Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology (PACE) is the foremost peer-reviewed journal in the field of pacing and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, publishing over 50% of all English language articles in its field, featuring original, review, and didactic papers, and case reports related to daily practice. Articles also include editorials, book reviews, Musings on humane topics relevant to medical practice, electrophysiology (EP) Rounds, and information concerning the quality of devices used in the practice of the specialty.
About Blackwell Publishing
Blackwell Publishing is the world's leading society publisher, partnering with more than 550 academic and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 750 journals and 600 text and reference books annually, across a wide range of academic, medical, and professional subjects.
The Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology journal is available at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0147-8389&site=1.
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