Electrophysiology in perspective
Electrophysiology around the world
Clinical cardiac
electrophyisiology developed at lightening speed thanks to
incredible technological evolution, among other things. This
medical specialty led to a better understanding of the substrates
responsible for arrhythmias and to the evolution of the therapeutic
measures used to treat these disorders. Electrophysiology literally
exploded, opening avenues for treatment that seemed unthinkable a
few years ago.
Think of the new stimulation technologies, to implantable
defibrillators and 3D mapping systems. All of this leads us to
believe that we are only at the beginning of a period of
development that will last for several years.
Members of the electrophyisiology department have contributed
to this evolution. Catheter ablation has been available for
treating arrhythmias for more than 15 years. Various members of the
department were pioneers, both locally and internationally, in the
development of this type of treatment. Still today, members
contribute to the development and fine-tuning of cryoablation, a
technology linked to catheter ablation.
Electrophysiology in Québec
Only four centres in
Québec perform cardiac catheter ablations.
Electrophyisiology at the MHI
The MHI is still the leader when in comes to the latest
electrophysiology treatment options. The speed at which
technological advancements have been made over the past few years
have rendered them more accessible. In fact, with catheter
ablation, certain arrhythmic disorders can be completely corrected.
In addition, implantable defibrillators have proven effective in
secondary, and even primary prevention of sudden death. Progress
such as this has led our patients and the cardiologists who refer
them to our institution to have high expectations.
The need for pacemakers continues to increase as the
population ages and because those who had pacemakers implanted
years ago have lived longer than expected. We must plan for having
to replace pacemakers. The prevalence of cardiac diseases is on the
rise, but the perfecting of electrophysiological techniques, and
the fine-tuning of medical equipment and of the skills of the teams
of professionals have contributed greatly to increased demand for
services.
It's within this context that the Institute has become a
hospital renowned for its work in cardiology and cardiac surgery.
The MHI follows more than 4,800 patients with pacemakers and
800 patients with defibrillators. In 2002-2003, this translated
into 3,600 clinic appointments for pacemaker patients and 1,136
visits for defibrillator patients. In addition, the medical team
conducted more than 3,000 follow-up visits and new consultations
for patients referred by fellow cardiologists at the Institute or
from other regions of Québec.
