University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire treat 50th patient with a new heart procedure
UHCW NHS Trust are only the second centre in the UK to reach this milestone
The Cardiology team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust have reached a milestone in their service delivery, marking the 50th atrial fibrillation (AF) patient to be treated with PulseSelect Pulse Field Ablation (PFA).
The Trust is just the second centre in the UK to have reached the milestone, with the team now able to treat three patients per day compared to two previously.
At the time of its introduction, UHCW was only the third UK centre to use the novel technology to treat patients with AF – the most common heart rhythm disturbance that affects around 1.4 million people in the UK.
Cheryl Pinnegar, who was diagnosed with AF six years ago, was the 50th patient to undergo the procedure. Cheryl said: “The procedure went really well and the team made sure I was well looked after.
“When I was initially diagnosed, the shortness of breath and palpitations were really affecting my day-to-day living. I had horses at the time and had to ask my daughter to look after them as I couldn’t.
“Following the ablation I’m able to walk further than I could which is making a big difference. I’m looking forward to being able to do more as I recover.”
The service is led by Cardiologists and Electrophysiologists, Professor Faizel Osman, Dr Sandeep Panikker and Dr Ven Gee Lim.
The system treats the condition using electrical pulses focusing on the pulmonary veins. This helps to avoid damage to nearby areas such as the gullet and phrenic nerve (nerve that controls breathing).
Dr Panikker said: “The efficiency gains we have experienced since implementing this novel technology have been remarkable.
“We can now treat 50 per cent more patients requiring complex AF ablations per day, enabling us to treat patients earlier and improve their outcomes.”