A change of heart, with 3D mapping

Source of Assam resident's irregular heartbeat was detected and treated using a novel three-dimensional imaging technology
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This was no scene from a sensuous Bollywood song, but a matter of life and death for Lakhi Das. When his heart went on a dhak dhak overdrive on a regular basis, it was time for 54-year-old resident of Assam to pack his bags and land in Mumbai to have his heart mapped in 3D.

Experiencing persistent palpitations and irregular heartbeats, Das sought medical treatment. His doctor in Assam diagnosed him with Atrial Fibrillation (AF), one of the most common types of arrhythmia.

In AF, the atria contract at a very fast and irregular pace, producing electrical impulses, which result in an abnormal increase in the number of heartbeats. When Das' symptoms showed no sign of abating, the family travelled to Mumbai in the hope of a cure.

Das was admitted to the P D Hinduja Hospital, where the source of his arrhythmia was detected through the deployment of a novel 3D mapping technique.

The doctors used an innovation called 'ensite velocity' to map the electrical activity of the heart, so as to identify the cause behind the extra electrical impulses.

"In this process, catheters are passed through the femoral veins, and the electrical impulses are tracked.

Once the source of the extra emissions is identified, we can localise the area, and thereafter use radio frequency energy to cut down the extra impulses," said Dr Ameya Udyavar, consultant cardiologist and electro physiologist at Hinduja Hospital.

"When I started suffering from chest pain and blackouts, I assumed I was having heart trouble. But I did not realise that I was having extra heartbeats," said Das, who works as an electrical foreman in ONGC, adding that the novel procedure cost him Rs 80,000.

At least one per cent of the total population suffers from arrhythmias.

"Patients who have suffered heart attacksu00a0 are more likely to develop arrhythmias,u00a0 which may even be fatal at times," explained Dr Udyavar.

He added that the symptoms for arrhythmias include palpitations, blackouts and repeated giddiness, and that heart patients experiencing these symptoms should seek medical consultation immediately.

Ventricular tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a tachycardia, or fast heart rhythm, that originates in one of the ventricles of the heart. This is a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia because it may lead to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death.

3 Million
No of Americans living with irregular heartbeat

1 %
Of Indians suffer from arrhythmias