El Paso, TEXAS — Las Palmas Medical Center recently became the first hospital in El Paso and the only hospital in West Texas to offer a hybrid therapy using a minimally invasive, robotic-assisted procedure to treat patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, a heart arrhythmia that affects millions of people worldwide.
The first procedure in El Paso was performed by Hector Flores, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon at Las Palmas Medical Center.
“This milestone reflects Las Palmas Medical Center’s ongoing commitment to advancing care for the El Paso community,” Alejandro Romero, chief executive officer of Las Palmas Medical Center, said. “Making this treatment available locally expands access to high-quality care for patients across our community and ensures more patients can receive specialized treatment close to home. This minimally invasive approach can mean shorter recovery times, allowing patients to return home and get back to their lives more quickly.”
This minimally invasive approach to treating advanced A-fib targets the areas of the heart that can trigger or sustain an irregular heartbeat. Through three small incisions, the procedure creates precise scar lines on the outside of the heart to block the faulty electrical signals that cause A-fib. When combined with additional treatment inside the heart, this approach offers a more comprehensive solution for patients with persistent A-fib, including the ability to close off a small pouch in the heart using minimally invasive, robotic-assisted techniques in appropriate patients.
“We are proud to bring this advanced treatment to Las Palmas Medical Center for patients with persistent or long-standing A-fib,” Dr. Flores said. “It allows us to care for more complex cases here in El Paso and offer a more comprehensive treatment option for patients whose symptoms have continued despite other interventions.”
According to the American Heart Association, more than 5 million people are estimated to live with A-fib in the United States. Clinical results from more than 1,100 patients treated with hybrid A-Fib therapy revealed up to 88% of patients were free from the condition, up to 94% experienced a reduction in A-fib episodes, and patients reported more than two times improvement in quality of life and more than three times improvement in A-fib symptoms.
Get more information on the procedures offered at Las Palmas Medical Center.