On February 14, the Can Tho Central General Hospital announced that its doctors had successfully performed six cardiac ablation procedures, with technical support from specialists at Cho Ray Hospital.
On the same day, Can Tho Central General Hospital officially inaugurated the Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment Department under the hospital’s Cardiovascular Center.
A notable case was a 48-year-old female patient, Đ.T.K.N., who was admitted with a dangerously high heart rate of 160 beats per minute, excessive sweating, and repeated fainting episodes.
Doctors performing an intervention on one of the first patients in the newly established Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment Department
Ms. N. had a history of occasional palpitations, rapid heartbeat, and excessive sweating. Recently, her symptoms worsened, leading to frequent and severe fainting spells.
After diagnosis, doctors confirmed that Ms. N. suffered from Atrial Fibrillation associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome and hemodynamic instability. She underwent treatment using cardiac electrophysiology ablation.
Following synchronized cardioversion, her heart rate stabilized at 80 beats per minute. The procedure lasted 60 minutes, and subsequent testing with medication showed no recurrence of symptoms.
Dr. Thân Hoàng Minh, head of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment Department at Can Tho Central General Hospital, explained that WPW Syndrome is particularly dangerous when associated with atrial fibrillation due to the presence of an abnormal conduction pathway, clinically manifesting as episodes of extremely rapid heartbeats.
Hospital leadership noted that over recent years, there has been a significant demand for cardiovascular care among residents of the Mekong Delta region. To address this need, since 2019, the hospital has trained physicians and acquired specialized equipment to prepare for the establishment of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment Department.
To date, the hospital’s medical team has installed temporary and permanent pacemakers for approximately 1,500 patients.
In addition to internal medicine treatments, the hospital has also implemented advanced techniques such as electrophysiological mapping and ablation, pacemaker programming, tilt table tests, food intake tests, stress tests, and 24-hour heart rate monitoring.
Moving forward, following the establishment of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment Department, the hospital plans to introduce additional procedures, including implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), wireless pacemaker systems, 3D electrophysiological mapping and ablation, and programmed cardioversion.
