Caribbean patients with atrial fibrillation or AFib may benefit from a new procedure called the convergent approach for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The minimally invasive procedure combines electrophysiology and cardiac surgery treatments to help restore normal heart rhythm for longtime suffers of AFib. Early clinical experience has shown that the convergent approach, conducted in a single operating room setting, may improve early outcomes for the most challenging patients and can reduce procedure times when compared to approaches where the two disciplines work separately.
Tenet’s Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, a cardiac center of excellence that ranked in the top ten percent in the nation for overall cardiac services by Healthgrades in 2016, is the first hospital in Palm Beach County, Florida, to offer this new procedure.
“The convergent approach is a groundbreaking advancement for long-suffering AFib patients who may have been unsuccessful with other treatments,” said Jeffrey M. Welch, CEO of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. “We are excited to offer an alternative treatment option that is designed to reduce recovery times and improve patients’ overall quality of life.”
Following the procedure, it is possible that the patient’s daily rhythm medications may be reduced or even eliminated. Typical hospital stays last two to three days, compared to five days or more for more invasive heart surgery, and patients are back to their normal activities quickly.
The center’s award winning heart hospitals have extensive experience in complex, life-saving procedures and its cardiologists and heart surgeons strive to help patients achieve better outcomes, quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays, and ultimately, better health.
