Patients in Southampton, Hampshire, are among the first in the country to benefit from a new heart procedure that allows them to stay awake while being treated for irregular heart rhythms. University Hospital Southampton is trialling the technology, which uses quick electrical pulses to fix malfunctioning heart cells in about 30 minutes.
The system, created by Abbott, uses a specialized tool called a balloon-in-basket catheter to target specific cells without needing the patient to be put to sleep. According to hospital officials, this method is much faster than older treatments and causes less pain, allowing people like Heather Phillips from Romsey to return home shortly after the procedure.
Professor Waqas Ullah, a specialist at the hospital, is leading the trial to improve how quickly local people receive care. If the trial continues to be successful, it could change how the South Central Ambulance Service brings patients to the hospital, potentially taking them straight to specialist labs for immediate help.
This new approach aims to make heart treatments more efficient and reduce the time patients spend in the hospital. By removing the need for general anaesthetic, the team at the Wessex Cardiac Centre can treat more people each day and help them recover faster.
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