BRYAN HEART
W. Michael Kutayli, MD, of Bryan Heart uses the new Stereotaxis Epoch technology to treat complex heart arrhythmias.
Latest technology treats abnormal heart rhythms
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racehorse trainer for 24 years, Gordon Hansen wasn’t used to being sidelined by extreme fatigue. But his atrial fibrillation, a condition where the electrical system of his heart did not keep it in a steady rhythm, was doing its own racing, beating so fast it was tiring out his body. After several years of trying various medications with limited results, a referral to Bryan Heart electrophysiologist W. Michael Kutayli, MD, resulted in Gordon undergoing a robotic cardiac ablation procedure that returned his heart to a healthy rhythm. “I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve felt this great,” Gordon says. “Dr. Kutayli and Bryan have given me a new life.”
The procedure Dr. Kutayli performed Gordon’s ablation using Bryan Medical Center’s newly installed Stereotaxis Epoch platform, an advanced computer-controlled technology that allows the physician to navigate magnetically driven catheters within the patient’s heart
14 Fall 2014
with robotic precision. The physician uses sophisticated software to draw a highly detailed 3D map of the diseased cardiac tissue and drive powerful magnets positioned near the patient. Following the map, the magnets lead a soft catheter gently through the patient’s heart by guiding the catheter’s magnetic tip. Though Stereotaxis can be used for many types of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), it is especially helpful in treating more complex arrhythmias, like Gordon’s atrial fibrillation, that require more detailed mapping and are higher risk procedures. “Dr. Kutayli called my atrial fibrillation ‘stubborn,’” Gordon says, “as it required extensive mapping and ablations.” “That is one of the advantages of the Stereotaxis technology,” adds Dr. Kutayli. “It allows us to treat multiple problem areas during one procedure.” Bryan’s new Epoch is not just the only such system in Lincoln, but also is the first in the Midwest with closest installations in