The Heart Detective System helps to map out trouble spots in the heart–that is, the spots that are causing arrhythmia. Doctors could then use this information to make ablations more effective.
While we have 3D mapping capabilities alraedy, this device promises to speed up the mapping process, allowing it to take place in as little as 15 minutes. The result is the EP gets faster, more precise information and the ablation takes less time.
Cardiologist Wyn Davies treated former Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair, for AF. He used this device.
The “Heart Detective” is a probe that looks a little like an egg whisk.
Until now, they have used tubes with electrodes on the tips to monitor the signals and track where they are coming from. These send back pictures that can be viewed on a computer screen, but the images tend to be flat and difficult to make out.
In comparison, the ‘heart detective’ system, which has been a decade in the making, is far more sophisticated. After being threaded up through a 2mm incision in the groin, the whisk-shaped probe inflates to the size of a lime once it reaches the surface of the heart, and begins to monitor the electric signals.
The probe is fitted with dozens of electrodes that capture 20,000 pieces of data in 15 minutes, compared with only 500 in half an hour with a conventional device.
I will keep an eye out on the “Heart Detective” probe and let you know if there is any additional information.
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