A clinical trial lead by QEII cardiologist Dr. John Sapp is improving care for Atlantic Canadians living with ventricular tachycardia (VT), a condition involving irregular heartbeat that can be life-threatening. The international study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May.
QEII Foundation donors funded The Beth Medjuck Heart Rhythm Laboratory, which helped make this study possible.
Dr. Sapp and his research team found catheter ablation to be a more effective treatment for VT than drug therapy. This surgical procedure involves catheters travelling to the heart through the blood vessels, sending electrical impulses to induce the arrhythmia and destroy the abnormal tissues that cause the condition.
Prior to this trial, physicians were unsure if high doses of antiarrhythmic drugs or surgical intervention would lead to better patient outcomes. Atlantic Canadians living with VT can take comfort in this groundbreaking research and the resulting improved care. While treatment decisions will continue to be individualized, there is a stronger case for surgery for most patients moving forward.
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