Conway surgeon becomes first in state to use new technology

A heart attack was the last thing Barbara McBride expected.

"I always heard my heart was great when I went to the doctor," said the 83-year-old Russellville resident.

However, one night she experienced severe pain and a rapid heartbeat. Her husband insisted she go to the hospital at Russellville. She followed up with cardiologist Dr. Donald Steely at Conway Regional Medical Center, who told her she had experienced a heart attack. She learned she had a blockage as well as an arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the upper chamber of the heart beats abnormally and fast.

On Wednesday, Dr. E.J. Chauvin became the first surgeon in the state to use the St. Jude Medical Epicor Cardiac Ablation System, which employs high frequency ultrasound technology to safely block the nerve tissue causing atrial fibrillation, according to information from the hospital. McBride also underwent a single bypass during her surgery.

McBride said she was born with one kidney, and she was happy to hear Chauvin could do the operation without stopping blood flow to her kidney. When she first learned she would have an operation, she feared her kidney would be damaged and she would have to go on dialysis.

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"It was an outstanding operation. He saved my kidney," she said. "Otherwise, there was a real gamble there. And I'm a diabetic."

Chauvin said, "She did great. Now she won't have to worry about taking blood thinners, and her risk for stroke is lower."

He said 15 percent of all strokes are caused by atrial fibrillation. It is more common in people over 70, he said. 2.3 million people in the U.S. have the condition, and that number will double over the next 30 years.

"The good thing about the new device is you can do (the operation) with the heart beating," Chauvin said. He said the ultrasound technology allows him to isolate one area of the heart.

"It just happened we were the first ones to get the technology."

"It worked out good for me," McBride said.

According to information from the hospital, "In atrial fibrillation, chaotic electrical impulses cause the atria (upper chamber of the heart) to fibrillate, contracting up to 500 times per minute. Atrial fibrillation can cause shortness of breath and fatigue. Patients with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke (because) when the heart does not beat effectively, blood can pool and form clots, which can lead to stroke "