NICVD team performs Focal Cryoablation

KARACHI: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) created history in cardiac healthcare by performing its first "Focal Cryoablation" procedure on a 60-year-old lady, a resident of Lahore. The team was led by Dr Azam Shafqat, Professor of Cardiac Electrophysiology, NICVD.

Talking to the media, Dr Azam Shafqat stated that the procedure was performed successfully without any complication. The patient had a heart rate of up to 200 beats per minute for a prolonged time. She had a successful ablation of the abnormal focus and now has a normal heart rate.

Most such cases are performed by heating the abnormal focus beat in the heart tissue by a catheter. In this case, the abnormality was in such a location that heating could destroy healthy tissue, causing an excessively slow heart rate. For the first time in Pakistan, a special catheter was used to freeze the focus of abnormality at -70ºC without the risk of slow heart rate. This freezing was successfully performed without any complications. The patient has now been permanently cured of this cardiac ailment.

Appreciating NICVD's team, Professor Nadeem Qamar, Executive Director, NICVD, said that the NICVD had achieved another milestone by performing the "Focal Cryoablation" procedure for the first time in the country. The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases has become one of the best tertiary cardiac care hospitals in the world.