Beginning Of Unique Cooperation Between The Mayo Clinic In The United States And Sheba Medical Center
On January 10, 2005, a complicated operation, a joint effort, in treating a patient with a diseased mitral valve and arterial fibrillation was performed with the participation of Professor Herzl Schaff, Director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Professor Schaff is one of the five leading cardiac surgeons in the world.
The operation was broadcast live to the conference center at Sheba's technology center and was viewed by the top surgeons in Israel.
Arterial fibrillation is a disturbance in heart rhythm which is caused by a large number of pathological electric circuits in the arteries. These circuits cause irregular contractions of the ventricals and the inefficient contraction of the arteries. The lack of arterial contraction causes the formation of blood clots in the arteries and as a result of this cerebral embolism. Heart function diminishes followed by heart failure and the fibrillation also causes a feeling of discomfort and anxiety among patients. Arterial fibrillation leads to significant danger of morbidity and mortality.
Arterial fibrillation can be treated either with medication or catheterization. In the event that those treatments don't work, there are now new surgical options. The most promising surgical method for treating arterial fibrillation is called Maze. Using this method, a number of cuts are made in strategic places in the right and left arteries which are sewn and which two months after the operation cause a scar to form along the lines of the cut in the shape of a maze. As a result, the irregular electrical circuits in the arteries stop because of the high electrical resistance of the healed cut and stimulation from the sino-atrial node is transmitted between the scars to the ventricals thereby returning the heart to a normal rhythm, a sinus rhythm. The Maze operation is successful in ending arterial fibrillation in more than 90% of cases.
The Cardiac Surgery department and Sheba under the direction of Dr. Ehud Ra'anani leads an intensive treatment program using arterial fibrillation surgery. Dr. Leonid Sternik, a senior doctor in the department did a specialization on this topic at the Mayo Clinic as part of its cooperation with the hospital and he assisted Professor Schaff in performing the surgery in Israel.
A conference of heart surgeons and cardiologists took place on January 10, 2005 as part of this program in the Cardiac Surgery Department at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.
At the conference, the participants observed the operation performed by Professor Herzl Schaff assisted by Dr. Leonid Sternik. The operation was filmed and projected into the lecture hall and the observers were able to speak with the surgeons in real time.
Dr. Ehud Ra'anani, the Director of Sheba's Cardiac Surgery Department remarked that: "While it's true I have already performed 40 such operations at Sheba in the last year, we have learned from experience that we have to adapt the surgical technique to the specific patient. We are happy to host Professor Schaff in our department and to learn both from his rich experience and from the latest and most advanced technique in the world in performing the above mentioned operation so that we can simply learn from him."
