Mary Gray, a 57-year-old caseworker at the Department of Human Services and a Washington, DC area resident, had no idea why her heart would suddenly start racing out of control during normal daily activities, such as walking or working. "I'd start sweating and feeling lightheaded, and then my heart would start beating really fast," she recalls. The attacks gradually became more frequent and severe, landing her in the emergency room three times. "During the last attack, I could actually see my blouse moving because my heart was pounding so hard," she says.

To learn the reason for these symptoms, Cynthia M. Tracy, MD, Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratories at The George Washington University Hospital, performed a study of the electrical system in Ms. Gray's heart.

"At GW Hospital, we have advanced equipment that helps us understand exactly how electricity is traveling through the heart and what's causing it to beat erratically," Dr. Tracy says. She discovered that one small portion of tissue in the upper chambers of Ms. Gray's heart was generating electrical impulses that were causing cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms.

A Nonsurgical Solution
If left untreated, Ms. Gray's arrhythmia could have led to serious problems. After pinpointing the abnormal tissue, Dr. Tracy performed a cardiac ablation, a nonsurgical procedure during which a thin wire (catheter) is threaded through a blood vessel in the groin up to the heart. The catheter emits mild, painless radiofrequency energy (similar to microwave heat) to destroy only the tissue that causes the abnormal rhythms.

Mary Gray experienced telling symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, sweating and lightheadedness. Seek help if you experience these symptoms.

Ms. Gray feels great since her procedure. "This has made such a difference in my life," she says. "Before, I never knew when I'd have an attack, so I'd leave the house only to go to work. Now, I love going out with my girlfriends on the spur of the moment."

In addition to cardiac ablation, the electrophysiologists (specialists in heart rhythm disorders) at GW Hospital offer advanced surgical therapies to treat some types of arrhythmia. For example, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a device that is placed in the chest to monitor heart rhythms and deliver shocks if dangerous rhythms are detected. The physician team includes Dr. Tracy; Marco A. Mercader, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiologist; and Allen Solomon, MD, Director, Cardiac Arrhythmia Services.

Get Heart Smart
If you feel fluttering sensations in your chest on a regular basis, accompanied by fatigue, shortness of breath or lightheadedness, you could have a heart arrhythmia. Please call 1-888-4GW-DOCS to make an appointment with a physician to talk about your symptoms.

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