Mission Hospital Celebrates 1000th Robotic Cardiac Procedure

Press release from the City of Mission Viejo:

June 5, 2020

A highly skilled team of cardiac electrophysiologists at Mission Hospital have become the leading providers of robotic cardiac ablation treatment in Southern California. Mission Hospital celebrates the significant milestone of Dr. Aseem Desai, Dr. Stephen Ehrlich, Dr. Lynne Hung and Dr. Jay Tiongson with the successful completion of 1,000 robotic cardiac ablation procedures using Orange County’s only robotic system for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders.

Mission Hospital is at the forefront of arrhythmia medicine, being among about 100 hospitals in the world with Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation technology for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Electrophysiologists use the technology to repair the electrical circuits of the heart in a procedure called cardiac ablation. Mission Hospital physicians have used the technology to treat a broad range of patients who would otherwise be unsuitable for traditional treatments.

Recently, during the stay-at-home order, Dr. Desai had the opportunity to perform a simulated telerobotic procedure from his office in Orange County, controlling a catheter at the Stereotaxis headquarters in St. Louis, MO.

“This technology has the potential to bring this specialized procedure to areas of the state and country that don’t currently have access to an electrophysiologist and/or robotic cardiac ablation treatments,” said Desai. “Tens of millions of individuals suffer from arrhythmias, which significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest. This is a game-changer for patients who struggle daily with irregular and inefficient heart rhythm.”

This press release was produced by the City of Mission Viejo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.