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Keyhole heart surgery a Waikato first A 42-year-old Whangamata man is recovering in cardiac care after becoming the first person at Waikato Hospital to have an atrial fibrillation procedure to correct a heart rhythm disorder.Hamilton-born cardiologist Martin Stiles, 36, completed the five and a half hour procedure yesterday (Tuesday) less than two months after his return to Waikato following seven years overseas where he learned the techniques of diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias. The keyhole surgery fixes irregular heartbeats by using virtual simulations of the heart to pinpoint targets where small burns help change the muscle's electrical conduction. “Waikato is now able to offer a full range of services for treatment of heart rhythm disorders. This has previously only been available in Auckland and Christchurch,” said Dr Stiles. The Whangamata man said he would have had to wait months for the procedure in Christchurch or go private in Australia, both away from the support of family. Private procedures cost more than $30,000. “It simply wasn’t an option for me,” the father-of-two said. He first recognised he had atrial fibrillation seven years ago when training for a marathon. One day he could run several kilometres, the next day he pulled out exhausted after one kilometre. “All of a sudden we’ve got someone here in the Waikato who can do this. My quality of life should be 100 per cent better.” Dr Stiles plans an operation a week for the next five weeks. He spent three years in the UK at Edinburgh and Leicester, a brief spell in Auckland and then three years in Adelaide where he learned more about the technique from Professor Prash Sanders, a world-renowned cardiac specialist who worked in France with the pioneers of atrial fibrillation ablation. Dr Stiles, his wife Christina (also from Hamilton) and two pre-school children returned to Hamilton in September after Waikato Hospital and the Waikato Heart Trust invested in a 3D mapping system used during the procedure. He attended Hillcrest Normal, Berkley Intermediate and Hillcrest High School, before his medical training in Dunedin. “Although there are opportunities in many places worldwide, we chose to come back home. This is where we want to be and it’s thanks to the team at Waikato Hospital that I’m able to pursue my interest in cardiac electrophysiology.” Dr Stiles' recently submitted doctorate is on atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation and he plans an ongoing research interest in these common arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation is the most common chronic cardiac arrhythmia, estimated to affect more than two million people in the United States and 4.5 million people in the European Union. In Australia, it is a major health problem contributing to a substantial proportion of the estimated 50,000 strokes a year. Lifetime risks for development of atrial fibrillation are one in four over the age of 40 and are still high (one in six) even in the absence of a previous heart failure or a heart attack. Key risk factors for the development of atrial fibrillation include increasing age, hypertension, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and valvular heart disease. The factors that contribute to this arrhythmia are complex and vary greatly from one patient to the next. Isolating the pulmonary veins by creating a scar around their origin prevents these rogue impulses from passing from the veins to the heart, thereby preventing the initiation of artrial fibrillation. High resolution photo available on request. Date: 13 November 2008 Contact: Mary Anne Gill Media and Communications Director Waikato District Health Board Ph: 07 834 3684 Fax: 07 834 3673 Mobile: 021 705 213 www.waikatodhb.govt.nz |