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Heart surgery to be shown live on Web
By LISA GREENE
Published February 26, 2005
If you've always wanted to see a close-up of a beating heart, this is your chance.
Surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa this morning will Webcast an innovative type of heart surgery designed to correct abnormal heart rhythms live on the Web at www.virtual-or.com
The Webcast will include a seminar for surgeons, but anyone can log on and watch the surgery starting at 9 a.m.
"There are 3-million Americans with atrial fibrillation," said Dr. J. Crayton Pruitt Jr., who will perform the procedure. "It's a good educational tool for the public."
The patient being operated on has no problem with the Webcast, Pruitt said.
"She actually was very much in favor of it," he said. "She thought it was neat that her son, who lives outside the state, will be able to watch the surgery."
The surgery, the MicroMaze procedure, is designed to stop the irregular heart rhythms of atrial fibrillation, which can lead to stroke or heart failure.
Pruitt will use a small microwave tool to burn tiny scars on the surface of the heart. The scars are designed to stop the abnormal electric currents that cause the irregular rhythms.
Instead of open-heart surgery, the procedure is done by making three tiny cuts, a few millimeters wide, on each side of the chest. A tiny camera is inserted into the chest that will guide Pruitt through the surgery. It's also the view that people can see on the Web site.
Those watching from the Web also will be able to submit questions.
St. Joseph's did a similar Webcast last fall.
[Last modified February 26, 2005, 01:14:15]
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