Contact:  Kim Bednarz, 281-637-7293, kbednarz@sleh.com

(Sugar Land, Texas)  March 5, 2009 - Another groundbreaking medical service is being provided for Fort Bend County residents by St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital.  On January 28, St. Luke’s Sugar Land Cardiac Catheterization staff and cardiologist Jasvinder Sidhu, M.D., performed an AV node ablation--the first in Fort Bend County.  This complicated procedure involves the electrical system of the heart being altered in order to prevent inappropriate heart rate and rhythm.  A special catheter burns certain areas in the heart that are responsible for disrupting electrical activity, which in turn causes irregular heartbeat.  This procedure forces the heart back to its normal pattern.

In addition to the AV node ablation, the catheterization team also performed the first Transradial catheterization in Fort Bend County.  Traditional catheterization involves entering the body through the groin, which requires a patient to lie flat for a five to six hour period after the procedure.  Transradial catheterization allows entering the body through the wrist, which enables the patient to move around after an hour or so.  The hospital is also performing STEMIs, which stands for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.  The “ST” portion refers to a segment on an EKG that alerts doctors that a patient is having a heart attack.  With STEMI, a patient brought into the emergency room at St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital will be taken to the cardiac catheterization lab within 30 minutes, balloon the area that needs to be repaired, and insert a stent so that the patient has a lower risk of losing heart muscle.   

“We are committed to providing patients with the highest quality and safest cardiac care available in the county," said Steve Teeple, director of Cardiovascular Services at St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital.  “It is our commitment to provide the best quality and most current procedures for our patients, and to be a leader in the community for cardiac care.”

Electrophysiologists on staff that currently perform the AV node ablation include the following:  Jie Cheng, MD; Christopher Frank, MD; Ali Massumi, MD; Abdi Rasekh, MD; Medhi Razavi, MD; Mohammad Saeed, MD; and Jasvinder Sidhu, MD.  To schedule an appointment with one of these physicians, or for a physician referral, call 832-355-3974.