Tour new cardiac labs at UCSF that
WHAT: The UCSF Heart and Vascular Center is celebrating the opening of its new Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Labs on October 30. The new suites feature state-of-the-art equipment that is the first of its kind in California. The opening also marks the 25th anniversary of the first radiofrequency catheter ablation, a technique pioneered and performed at UCSF by electrophysiology expert Mel Scheinman. MD.
Catheter ablation is successful in treating 90-98 percent of arrhythmia cases, according to the American Heart Association, and the procedure has all but eliminated the need for open-heart surgery or long-term drug therapy for hundreds of thousands of patients with this disorder.
WHO:
▪ Tomi Ryba, chief operating officer of UCSF Medical Center
▪ William Grossman, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiology
▪ Thomas Ports, MD, director of the Interventional Catheterization Laboratory
▪ Jeffrey Olgin, MD, chief of Cardiac Electrophysiology
WHERE: Media should report to the Information Desk
UCSF Medical Center
505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco
WHEN: Monday, October 30
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Reception
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Tour of labs
CONTACT:
To cover this event or arrange interviews, contact Vanessa deGier at 415-476-2557.
FIRST IN CALIFORNIA:
▪ UCSF is the first institution in California to implement a magnetic navigation system that uses computer-controlled magnets, instead of manual guidance by physi cians, to steer catheters and guidewires for electrophysiology studies and ablations. Their use will be demonstrated on a model of the heart during the tour.
▪ Labs are equipped with the latest visualization tools, providing 3-D mapping that is quicker and more accurate than previous systems and that allows UCSF physicians to identify and correct complex problems with more precision and fewer complications.
▪ The suites feature preparation, recovery, patient and family waiting rooms.
IT ALL STARTED AT UCSF:
The opening of the new labs marks the 25th anniversary of the first-ever cardiac catheter ablation performed by Mel Scheinman, MD. A true innovator in the field of electrophysiology, Scheinman is often referred to as the “father of catheter ablation” in the world of medicine. Today, the procedure he pioneered at UCSF is performed regularly worldwide. Approximately 20,000 ablations are performed each year in the United States alone. More than 400 are performed annually at UCSF.
ABOUT UCSF:
UCSF is a leading university that advances health worldwide by conducting advanced biomedical research, educating graduate students in the life sciences and health professions, and providing complex patient care.