Great question.
The noninvasive mapping technology is called Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI). Patients wear a vest of electrodes (http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/products/cardiac-rhythm/cardiac-mapping/cardioinsight-mapping-vest.html) and undergo a standard CT scan. With the vest on, we induced the life-threatening heart rhythm problem, quickly mapped it (in seconds), then rescued the patient. This mapping allowed us to see EXACTLY where the problem originated.
For a living, I perform the standard mapping and ablations--we use 3D mapping with catheters routinely. But the difference between a 6+ hour catheter ablation and a 15 minute noninvasive ablation is awe-inspiring...
Thanks for asking.
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Great question. The noninvasive mapping technology is called Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI). Patients wear a vest of electrodes (http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/products/cardiac-rhythm/cardiac-mapping/cardioinsight-mapping-vest.html) and undergo a standard CT scan. With the vest on, we induced the life-threatening heart rhythm problem, quickly mapped it (in seconds), then rescued the patient. This mapping allowed us to see EXACTLY where the problem originated. For a living, I perform the standard mapping and ablations--we use 3D mapping with catheters routinely. But the difference between a 6+ hour catheter ablation and a 15 minute noninvasive ablation is awe-inspiring... Thanks for asking.