Sanjiv M. Narayan, MD, PhD, a cardiologist based in San Diego, graduated from the University of Birmingham in the UK, UCLA, Harvard University and Washington University in St Louis. In his role as a professor of medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan co-founded the Stanford Arrhythmia Center, where he hopes to use bioengineering advancements to treat patients with heart arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation.
Two options exist for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: catheter ablation and surgical maze. Catheter ablation is a surgical procedure that must be performed by an electrophysiologist or a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythms. This procedure is minimally invasive and is performed through incisions in the groin, arm, or neck.
The surgeon inserts catheters through the incisions. The tubes make their way to the heart, where they enter an incision between the left and right atria to eliminate tissue that may be causing the irregular heartbeat.
The surgical maze procedure is performed by a cardiothoracic surgeon. During open-heart surgery, the surgeon makes a series of incisions in a maze-like arrangement. The incisions heal and leave scar tissue that interrupts the irregular heartbeat.
Two options exist for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: catheter ablation and surgical maze. Catheter ablation is a surgical procedure that must be performed by an electrophysiologist or a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythms. This procedure is minimally invasive and is performed through incisions in the groin, arm, or neck.
The surgeon inserts catheters through the incisions. The tubes make their way to the heart, where they enter an incision between the left and right atria to eliminate tissue that may be causing the irregular heartbeat.
The surgical maze procedure is performed by a cardiothoracic surgeon. During open-heart surgery, the surgeon makes a series of incisions in a maze-like arrangement. The incisions heal and leave scar tissue that interrupts the irregular heartbeat.
