Canada's First Heart Surgery Breakthrough

0:00A team at Sacracies & Core Hospital in Montreal made history this week with Canada's first use of a groundbreaking cardiac surgery technique. A 70-year-old patient with a tough-to-treat arrhythmia underwent the procedure on Wednesday. Led by electrophysiologist Dr. Alexios Hodges, the surgery targeted areas of the heart that standard methods couldn't reach due to the man's bypass, surgery from the 1990s. The key was a special catheter combining pulsed field and radio frequency ablation, which got rare approval from health Canada. Doctors accessed the heart's outer layer, or ebacardium, through a minimally invasive groin entry. This ventricular tachycardia ablation stopped the dangerous fast heartbeats right in the operating room with no signs of the problem afterward. For the patient, the wind means no more painful shocks from his pacemaker, defibrillator, which have been firing repeatedly despite max meds. Those jolts feel like a bomb going off in the chest and can even lead to trauma like post-traumatic stress disorder, robbing people of normal life.

1:05Demand for these electrophysiology treatments is surging in Quebec, where ablation now beats medication for safety and slowing disease. Officials know it's become a go-to option rather than a last resort, boosting quality of life. Health Canada cleared this one-off use based on studies, but wider access would need full licensing. The catheter's maker, Abbott, says it's already okay in Europe and nearing United States approval, paving the way for routine Canadian care soon. Local news, powered by AI. This is Canada News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.