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The Ramsay Way - Winter 2015

MAXISIDE HOSPITALNEWS Westmead Private hits the buses! WESTMEAD PRIVATE HOSPITAL HAVE COMMENCED A MAJOR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN UTILISING ITS LOCAL BUSES WITH THE AIM OF RAISING COMMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT THE SERVICES & CARE PROVIDED BY THE HOSPITAL. Ramsay Cardiologists lead the way Ramsay’s Greenslopes Private Hospital in Queensland & Linacre Private Hospital in Victoria, led the way in new cardiac treatments recently, with cardiologists at these facilities implanting the world first S-ICD implantable defibrillator system for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. 8 The Ramsay Way - 2015 | 02 Teaching Honour for Northside Clinic The Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney has selected Northside Clinic as the recipient of the Award for Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Training for 2014. Northside Clinic was selected, on the basis of student feedback. To receive the award were Northside Clinic doctors Bill Lyndon (pictured centre) and Stan Theodorou (right) who are pictured with Associate Professor Chris Dennis (left), Associate Dean of Northern Clinical School. In March, Linacre Private Hospital Cardiologists Jeff Alison & Emily Kotschet implanted subcutaneous defibrillators “S-ICD™” in two patients. This new procedure had previously only been performed in the public setting in Victoria. Emily Kotchet says: “Both patients had been diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome which is an inherited condition carrying a significant risk of spontaneous cardiac arrest. “The S-ICD provides patients protection from sudden cardiac arrest while leaving the heart and vasculature untouched. The S-ICD™ System by Boston Scientific is the only implantable subcutaneous defibrillator device available in the world. The S-ICD™ is intended to provide the patient defibrillation therapy for the treatment of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia. A pulse generator and an electrode are inserted under the skin leaving the heart and blood vessels untouched. The defibrillator Linacre cardiologists Dr Jeff Alison & Dr Emily Kotschet then monitors the heart activity activating if the patients heart rhythm changes to a ventricular tachyarrhythmia. The procedure appears to have long term advantages because of the lack of transvenous access. Patient selection is obviously important, but this may be a good solution for younger patients who will need a device for decades and don’t require a pacing component. “The device should reduce the risk of infection and provide long term stability without the potential issues of transvenous leads, which is the main cause of device complaints over time”said Jeff Alison. Linacre Cardiac Catheter Lab Manager Marg Turnbull said: “It is exciting for Linacre to be involved in procedures that are so new to cardiology treatment in Victoria. Being selected to perform the first procedure in a private hospital shows great faith in our expertise.” Cardiologists, Drs Karen Phillips and Michael Jones completed their first procedure to implant the new subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) at Greenslopes Private Hospital in May this year. Dr Phillips said that the device has only been available in Australia since late 2014, and is an exciting advancement offering patients a less invasive procedure than the traditional transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in which the leads are fed into the heart through a vein and attached to the heart wall. “The new defibrillator was a significant advance for patients because the device is implanted just below the skin, and the lead is implanted along the breastbone, just under the skin, rather than through a vein and into the heart, thereby leaving the heart and blood vessels untouched and intact,” Dr Phillips said. ”It is designed to provide the same protection from sudden cardiac arrest as a traditional ICDs, however as there is no direct contact with the heart or bloodstream, it avoids the risk of life-threatening infections that could travel directly to the veins and heart via a traditional ICD lead. There is also a long-term risk that leads in standard defibrillators could fail requiring complex surgery to remove them.” Dr Michael Jones has recently joined Dr Phillips’ group, Heart Care Partners at Greenslopes Private and brings expertise from Oxford in the UK where he had been performing the new procedure. “The new device is also a great option for young patients with congenital heart conditions as the leads can be more easily be replaced compared to traditional ICD leads, as these patients grow,” Dr Jones said. L-R: Dr Karen Phillips & Dr Michael Jones. The system has two main components: a pulse generator and a lead. The pulse generator is a small battery-powered device that constantly monitors a person’s heart rhythm and can provide a small electrical shock to restore the heart to normal rhythm when the heart is beating dangerously fast (tachycardia) or chaotically. The electrode enables the device to sense the cardiac rhythm and serves as a pathway for electric shock delivery when needed. Both components are implanted just under the skin—the generator at the side of the chest, and the electrode beside the breastbone. Unlike transvenous ICDs, the heart and blood vessels remain untouched. Sudden cardiac arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function. Most episodes are caused by the rapid and/or chaotic activity of the heart known as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. “The S-ICD is constantly monitoring your heart rhythm and is ready to deliver treatment if sudden cardiac arrest or tachycardia occurs, and is suitable for a large population of patients; however it is not intended for patients who have symptomatic bradycardia (a slow heart beat) and who require a pacemaker,” Dr Jones said.


The Ramsay Way - Winter 2015
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