Good Samaritan Hospital
Heart & Vascular Center
375 Dixmyth Ave.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45220
(513) 862-3588
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Arrhythmia Treatment Options
The physicians who specialize in arrhythmia care at Good Samaritan Heart & Vascular Center collaborate to provide the broadest range of treatment options to ensure that each patient gets the treatment best suited to their diagnosis and situation. Several of the treatment options offered at the center are minimally invasive procedures, some of which are not available anywhere else in Greater Cincinnati, including:
Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Cryo-ablation
Minimally Invasive Maze Surgeries
Other Robotic-Assisted Surgeries
Laser Extraction of Chronic Pacemaker Leads
Other Treatments and Services
Pacemaker Therapy
Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, also known as pulmonary vein isolation or left atrial compartmentalization, provides an alternative to a lifetime of medications and associated costs and side effects for patients with atrial fibrillation. In this procedure, the physician uses a catheter to deliver radiofrequency energy to the heart. This causes scarring that eliminates the arrhythmia. Advanced mapping systems allow the physician to literally see the inside the heart in real-time and in 3-D as they perform the procedure.
Good Samaritan Hospital was the first hospital in the area to perform this procedure. Since 2004 Good Samaritan Hospital has performed more than 150 catheter ablation procedures with an 80 percent long-term success and very few complications. Read more about options for treatment of a-fib.
Cryo-ablation
Cryo-ablation is a freezing technique that is a safer alternative to standard radiofrequency ablations for patients who have a specific type of rapid heart beat problem called AV node reentrant tachycardia. This heart disorder is the most common form of sudden heart racing in young people. It often requires invasive therapy due to severe symptoms and failure of medication therapy. The standard ablation method for treating this rhythm disturbance carries a 1 percent risk of requiring a pacemaker. Cryoablation can reduce this risk ten-fold – to less than 0.1 percent. Cryoablation can also be used for cure of other types of arrhythmias like atrial flutter, atrial fibrillaiton and atrial tachycardia.
Good Samaritan Hospital is the only local hospital to offer cryo-ablation for adults with AV node reentrant tachycardia.
Minimally Invasive Maze Surgeries
Both robotic-assisted Maze and the mini-Maze provide alternative treatments for atrial fibrillation that are significantly less invasive then traditional open heart surgery. The Maze procedure creates scars to stop the arrhythmia in a manner similar to the catheter procedure, but the scars are created under direct vision. These minimally invasive options may be appropriate for patients for whom medication and ablation have not been successful. They are also an option for patients who require surgery for other reasons in addition to their atrial fibrillation. Good Samaritan Hospital was the first and remains the only hospital in the area offering robotic-assisted Maze. Read more about the robotic-assisted Maze procedure.
Other Robotic-Assisted Surgeries
Surgeons at Good Samaritan Hospital perform other minimally invasive robotic-assisted procedures for patients with arrhythmias. For some patients, pacemaker wires that cannot be placed using catheters can be done with robotic assisted surgery rather than open surgery. Read more about robotic-assisted lead implantation.
Laser Extraction of Chronic Pacemaker Leads
Laser extraction is a non-surgical approach to extract pacemaker wires that need to be removed. This technique involves the use of a hollow laser to break up scar tissue, which often holds the leads in place.
Good Samaritan Hospital has been performing this procedure since 1989, with more than 1,000 leads removed.
Other Treatments and Services
Other treatment options for arrhythmia available at the center include:
- Electrophysiology studies for diagnosis and treating various arrhythmias
- Radiofrequency ablation for:
- Supraventricular Tachycardia
- Bypass Medicated Tachyardia
- Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
- Ventricular Tachycardia
- Syncope workup
- Pacemaker implantation
- ICD implantation
- Biventricular device implantation
- Loop recorder implantation
Pacemaker Therapy
 Good Samaritan Hospital is unique in the area in its support for pacemaker patients. All pacemaker programming – at the time of implant or anytime reprogramming is required – is performed by specialized nurses who work for the hospital rather than the device manufacturer. Our specialized pacemaker nurses are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that when our pacemaker patients need assistance, qualified professionals are just moments away.
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