Hospital News
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- NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Announces State-of-the-Art, Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center in Washington Heights
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Sets U.S. Record for Number of Heart Transplants in One Year
- 9/11 Lifestyle Changes May Increase Cardiovascular Risk
- Accuracy of Gene Expression Test for Heart Transplant Patients Confirmed by Independent Clinical Data
- A NYC First: Patient Participates in Stem Cell Clinical Trial to Repair Heart Damaged by Severe Coronary Artery Disease
- Columbia Presbyterian Cardiologist Is First in New York State To Receive Accreditation for Stress Echocardiography
- Columbia Research Suggests Need to Rethink Causes of Heart Failure
- Columbia Scientists Study Advantages of Using Web to Tailor Medical Information to Patients
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Receives $23 Million From NHLBI to Lead Network Evaluating Novel Interventions in Cardiac Surgery
- Columbia University Medical Center Releases Preliminary Results of Robotic Open-Heart Surgery Study
- Columbia University Medical Center Study Shows Stress Test Saves Lives of Patients With Chest Pain
- Computerized Electrocardiogram Rhythm Errors Common, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Study Finds
- Diabetics Benefit Less from Anti-Hypertensive Treatment to Reduce Enlarged Heart
- Electrocardiogram Helps Predict Risk for Congestive Heart Failure in Hypertensive Patients
- FDA Approves Implanted Heart Pumps That Lengthen and Improve Lives of Terminally Ill Heart Failure Patients
- First Robot-Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery in the U.S. Performed at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
- For High-Blood-Pressure Patients, Preventing or Reducing Enlarged Heart Decreases Risk of Heart Failure
- Gene Test Detects Heart Transplant Rejection
- Hollywood Comes Knocking: Dr. Mehmet Oz of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is Medical Expert for Denzel Washington Film John Q
- JAMA Article Looks at Data-Sharing in Clinical Trials for Heart Disease
- Keeping the Beat: NewYork-Presbyterian Offers Heart Patients New Combination Defibrillator/Pacemakers
- Larger Waistline Is Linked to Increased Risk for Heart Disease in Women
- Left Ventricular Assist Devices May Improve Heart Function and Lead to Search for New Therapies To Obviate Need for Transplants
- New Intravascular Radiation Procedures Reduce Renarrowing of Coronary Arteries
- New Methodology Gives Weill Cornell Team Insights into Psychological Value of Cardiac Stress Testing
- New Treatment May Prolong Life for Heart Transplant Patients
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Physician-Scientists Present Findings at American Heart Association's Annual Conference
- NYC First: NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Cardiologists Implant Novel Stroke-Prevention Device for Heart Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
- Physician-Scientist Urges Improved Drug Regulation to Ensure Safety of Non-Heart Drugs
- Reducing Enlarged Heart Muscle Cuts Patients' Cardiac Risk, Independent of Lowered Blood Pressure, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Researchers Report
- Research Shows Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Lovastatin Reduces Risk of Heart Attack in Healthy Adults
- Weill Cornell Physician-Scientists Win 2 Top Awards at American Heart Association Meeting
- Weill Cornell Researchers Identify a Likely Genetic Cause of Atherosclerosis
- Weill Cornell Scientists Reveal Action of a Histamine Receptor That May Lead to New Therapies for Heart Attacks
Health Library
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More on Arrhythmia Control
- Arrhythmias
- Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter
- Biventricular Pacing
- Bradycardia, Heart Block and Bundle Branch Block
- Cardiac Procedures
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) / Stress Test / Holter Monitor
- Heart's Electrical System: Anatomy and Function
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
- Implantable Converter Defibrillators
- Sudden Cardiac Death
- Supraventricular Tachycardia
- Syncope (Sudden Loss of Consciousness)
- Ventricular Tachycardia and Ventricular Fibrillation
- Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
Clinical Services
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- Advanced Diagnostics
- Alcohol Septal Ablation
- Angiograms
- Angioplasty and Stenting
- Artificial Heart Devices: LVAD
- Cardiac Electrophysiologic Studies and T-wave Alternans Testing
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Cardiology
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Catheter Ablation for Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (Grafting)
- Echocardiograms
- Electrocardiograms (ECGs), Stress Tests, Holter Monitor and Event/Loop Recorders
- Heart Transplant Surgery
- Heart Valve Repair and Replacement
- Implantable Converter Defibrillators and Biventricular Pacing
- Intravascular / Intracoronary and Intracardiac Ultrasound
- Nuclear Imaging For Heart Disease (PET scans, MUGA scans)
- Off-pump Surgery
- Pacemakers
- Pediatric Heart Surgery
- Preventive Cardiology
- Robotic Heart Surgery
- Surgery for Adult Congenital Heart Disease
- Tilt Testing
- Transmyocardial Revascularization
- Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease
- Treatments for Heart Valve Disease
Arrhythmia Control
An estimated two million Americans live with irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a world leader in arrhythmia control, which combines the study, diagnosis, and treatment of heart rhythm disturbances in both adults and children.
Atrial fibrillation is a form of arrhythmia in which the atria (the two small upper chambers of the heart) beat chaotically. While there are a number of variations of atrial fibrillation with different causes, they all involve irregularities in the transmission of electrical impulses through the heart. As a result of these irregularities, the heart is not able to pump blood effectively, which can cause blood to pool and form clots. This situation can lead to stroke, congestive heart failure, or cardiomyopathy.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we offer our patients a range of treatment options for severe arrhythmias, including medication, pacemakers and defibrillators, non-surgical ablative techniques, and surgical approaches — such as the modified Maze surgical procedure which interrupts the path of electrical impulses that cause the arrhythmia.
The Maze procedure is designed to cure atrial fibrillation, an arrhythmia of the upper chambers of the heart, by interrupting the electrical impulses that cause the abnormal rhythm. This open-heart surgery involves the placement of incisions in both atria. When the incisions heal, scar tissue forms forming a "roadblock" that prevents the abnormal electrical impulses from passing through the heart. In so doing, it corrects all the major problems associated with atrial fibrillation: it stops the atrial arrhythmia, it restores normal rhythm between the atria and the ventricles, and it preserves the ability of the atria to contract on its own.
In the modified left atrial Maze procedure, the area around the pulmonary veins — thought to be the site where irregularities in the electrical impulses form — is treated with either freezing temperatures (cryoablation), or with a heat source, such as radiofrequency, microwave, or laser energy. This treatment forms a barrier that disrupts the pathway of abnormal electrical impulses, thereby curing the arrhythmia. Based on our success rate of up to 90%, we now offer a modified left atrial Maze procedure to all patients with atrial fibrillation who are having a concurrent open-heart procedure.
Physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian have been pioneers in the area of minimally invasive atrial fibrillation surgery. Our surgeons have also developed a totally closed chest, robotically assisted, beating heart operation for atrial fibrillation. Patients having this procedure are discharged within a few days, with only puncture-sized incisions in the chest.
