New surgery can cure hearts which beat too quickly

Press, 19 February 1987, Page 32

New surgery can cure hearts which beat too quickly

PA. Auckland Three Green Lane Hospital specialists are performing surgery which , combines . computers and surgery to cure patients born with hearts that beat too quickly. Such patients, with otherwise healthy hearts, have in the past faced restricted lives on permanent medication and with frequent stays in hospital. , Now surgery of three to four hours, with low risks and a high success rate, offers a complete cure, according to the specialists.

The team using the innovative surgery comprises a cardiologist, Dr Warren Smith, an electronics expert, Mr Noel Ashton, and a surgeon, Mr Clive Robinson.

They said they learned the technique last year from two visiting Australian specialists with whom they performed surgery four times. The Auckland men have since performed the surgery 12 times on their own.

The condition, known as Wolff-Parkinsons — White syndrome, is described by the doctors as “being bom with an electrical shortcircuit.” Three or four persons in 1000 have the condition, but not all suffer problems.

' The men say patients have little, abnormal threads running between the top and bottom of the upper chamber of the heart. Instead of the heart rhythm taking its normal route, it goes at an accelerated rate across these connections, causing “at-

tacks” of speeded heart rate.

The new procedure is a team effort After Dr Smith has diagnosed the condition, Mr Ashton uses complex electronic and computer equipment to locate the abnormal connection. Then Mr Robinson cuts out the abnormal tissues with a scalpel. As well as being a big step forward medically, the doctors say the operation is cost-effective, because it removes the need for pills and enables the patient to live a full, normal life.

Two Australian doctors, Messrs David Johnson and John Uther, who were involved in pioneering the technique at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, have delivered papers at the ninth Asia-Pacific cardiology conference being held in Auckland.