Miguel Servet is at the national and international forefront in highly complex processes in the field of Cardiology

The Aragonese hospital has become one of the three centers in Spain with online connectivity with third parties to assist in the treatment of complex arrhythmias performed remotely

The development of information technologies (ICT) in healthcare facilitates the possibility of accessing or attending health services without having to be physically present. Now, the Miguel Servet University Hospital has placed itself at the national and international forefront in this online connectivity in highly complex processes in the field of Cardiology, being one of the three centers in Spain that has a remote connection in real time. for the remote treatment of complex arrhythmias.

Cardiac arrhythmias are a group of heart rhythm disorders. They are processes that cause a great clinical impact and require super specialization in the field of Cardiology for their treatment. The excellent clinical results obtained for years through cardiac catheter ablation have promoted the continuous development of these techniques. These are not open surgery procedures, but rather electrophysiological cardiologists introduce catheters through arteries or veins to access the affected area of ​​the heart and cure the disease.

The involvement of engineers in these complex processes provides doctors with all the data to perform the intervention with more precision, thanks to electroanatomical navigation systems. These navigation devices allow the creation of virtual maps of the heart in three dimensions so that the operator can accurately characterize the arrhythmia circuit and eliminate it through ablation. The doctor who handles the catheter is assisted by a technician-engineer of the navigation system itself.

In collaboration with Boston Scientific professionals, the Hospital uses a pioneering technique for online cooperation in the use of these browsers through the so-called “Remote Rhythmia”. The system enables the connectivity of the image and all the parameters required in the intervention (intracardiac electrical signals, live images of the catheters, etc.) to interact and - assist or be assisted - with other professionals remotely.

The system and its connectivity were recently successfully tested in an intervention carried out by doctors Carlos López and Beatriz Jáuregui on a patient with an arrhythmia called atypical atrial flutter.

Antonio Asso, head of the Arrhythmia Unit, of the Servet Cardiology service, explains that remote connectivity and real-time interaction greatly expand the teaching and assistance possibilities in complex arrhythmia interventions, since the doctor has absolutely all the technical parameters that guide the intervention as if you were in person in the operating room itself.

The objective of this system is that the engineer, essential to help guide the handling of the catheter, may not be in person, but also from the Unit colleagues from other health centers can be trained without the need to travel, or share experiences between centers. with experience in this complex assistance that always benefits patient care.