GPS technology helping heart patients
GPS devices may help motorists navigate roads, but now surgeons are using similar technology in the treatment of heart patients.
St Andrew's Hospital in Brisbane is the first in the southern hemisphere to use the ground-breaking procedure where the technology guides surgeons through the human body.
Cardiologist Dr John Hayes performed his first procedure with the MediGuide this week and said he already sees the potential to transform heart surgery.
"They could actually get up and actually leave the theatre laborator, have a cup of tea, come back and lie down, and we would still be able to navigate accurately within the heart,” he said.
"The accuracy is excellent. We have great confidence in what we're seeing with this technology."
The hospital has invested $1 million in the technology, which will be used to diagnose problems with the heart's rhythm and to implant pacemakers and defibrillators.
Dr Christian Rowan from the Australian Medical Association said: "We're also very pleased given this is the first hospital not only in Australia but the Asia Pacific region and southern hemisphere to introduce this."
The device shows specialists which route to take to reach the heart, with tiny sensors attached to a small tube allowing doctors to pinpoint their precise location inside the patient.
It reduces the need for live x-ray imaging throughout the operation by up to 95 per cent, meaning patients are exposed to less harmful radiation.
Dr Philipp Sommer from the University of Leipzip travelled from Germany to attend the Australian launch.
He said after two years using the machine in Europe, his personal exposure to radiation has also reduced.
"You do not come home with 1.5 to 2 hours of radiation but with 3 minutes,” Dr Sommer said.
The equipment will eventually be used to treat hundreds of patients a year.
[[vvid:21144591]]
