Deborah Heart and Lung Center has announced its first procedures using the innovative VIVO™ System (Catheter Precision, Inc.), making it the first cardiac center in New Jersey with this sophisticated technology.

Designed for patients suffering with ventricular tachycardia — which is an abnormal heart rhythm in the lower chambers of the heart — the VIVO™ System provides GPS-like mapping which pinpoints the exact spot where the heart arrhythmia is located. This provides precise navigation for Deborah’s electrophysiology specialists who then use cardiac ablation (radiofrequency energy) to treat the arrhythmia.

“This noninvasive procedure, done under light sedation, provides us with a highly detailed three-dimensional image of the heart with a superimposed activation map that is unique to each patient,” said Raffaele Corbisiero, MD, Deborah’s Chair of Electrophysiology. “With this precise mapping, we are then able to use our Stereotaxis remote navigation system to ‘ablate’ the arrhythmia, blocking the irregular signals that are coming from the lower chambers of the heart.”

Dr. Corbisiero explained that patients with ventricular tachycardia often have a pounding heart rate, chest pain, lightheadedness and shortness of breath. “This is a very serious cardiac abnormality that can lead to stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest. It absolutely requires treatment. Ablation does an excellent job at treating this, but making sure we focus the remote energy to the exact spot is critical for the procedure to be successful. VIVO is a new tool that gives us that precision, and ensures that patients will not have to return for a redo of their procedure if we miss the mark.”

“We are more than thrilled to have this new tool at our disposal,” added Dr. Corbisiero. “Probably 10-15% of the heart arrhythmia patients we see have a ventricular problem. That is a significant population that will benefit from this mapping, which not only ensures precise placement of the radiofrequency energy, but saves us procedure time, improves our patient safety, and most importantly, improves our patient outcomes.”

Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, NJ is an 89-bed teaching hospital that specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, research, and treatment of heart, lung, and vascular diseases. Founded in 1922, Deborah has been a regional and nationally recognized leader throughout its 100-year history, during which time it has healed 2.3 million patients from every corner of the United States and 87 countries in the world. From performing the first open heart surgeries (adult and pediatric) in New Jersey, to running one of the highest volume left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant programs in the region, Deborah has stood at the forefront of medical innovation, all while never wavering from its founding mission “there is no price on life.” Deborah is consistently recognized as a leader in patient care from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ranked among the top hospitals in New Jersey for patient satisfaction; holds a top-tier Society of Thoracic Surgeons rating which places Deborah among the best cardiac surgery programs in the country; and is designated a national Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. Deborah is an Alliance member of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute.