The evolution of medicine applied to the heart. And from the heart of BAT, in Andria, the HUB Cardiology Complex Operational Unit with UTIC, directed by Dr. Francesco Bartolomucci, at the “Bonomo” Hospital, stands out among the most specialized public structures in Puglia.
«It is the first center in Puglia for closure of the patent foramen ovale or the so-called hole in the heart, a frequent condition in adulthood and where the finding is often occasional. However – explains Dr Bartolomucci – in a small number of patients it is possible to develop paradoxical embolism phenomena with consequent symptomatic cerebral ischemic events”.
Furthermore, it is among the three regional public structures, together with the Bari Polyclinic and the Vito Fazzi Hospital in Lecce, to deal with the treatment of non-valvular structural heart disease such as closure of the left atrial appendage. And Bonomo is the only public center in Puglia where the ablation of atrial fibrillation will begin to be developed from November using a new technique, namely electroporesis.
It is also among the high-volume centers for cardiostimulation, i.e. the implantation of pacemakers, and is among the first to have implanted wireless dual-chamber pacemakers. These are two pacemakers without leads that communicate and synchronize with each other with every single heartbeat thanks to implant-to-implant communication technology.
But that’s not all. In recent days, the first implant of the Carillon Mitral Contour system was performed in the Cardiology department of Andria. «This percutaneous procedure – added Doctor Bartolumucci – is capable of remodeling the mitral annulus by reducing mitral dilation and regurgitation, and is therefore indicated in patients with functional mitral regurgitation refractory to medical therapy and not candidates for cardiac surgery. The device was implanted in an 80-year-old patient with severe mitral insufficiency.”
The goal is to improve patients’ quality of life and, consequently, reduce hospitalizations. Given that cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of premature death in Europe and contribute to the continuous increase in healthcare costs.
«There are pathologies that lower the quality of life, such as atrial fibrillation, the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia in the general population, associated with the risk of cerebral stroke – specifies Bartolomucci – due to the formation of thrombi that form inside the heart and especially in the left auricle. In order to avoid this eventuality, the patient must take anticoagulant therapy which, as countless studies demonstrate, significantly reduces the risk of acute cerebral events. In patients who, for various reasons, cannot take anticoagulant therapy or are at high risk of bleeding, percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage is necessary, a procedure which today represents a valid therapeutic option in these subjects.”
These goals and other scientific topics will be discussed during “CardioBat2024”which will be held on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October in Trani at Palazzo San Giorgio. Promoted and organized by the Department of Cardiology of ASL BAT, directed by Dr. Francesco Bartolomucci, with the collaboration of the Intermeeting Sud Organizational Secretariat (info 080.5482005) and the patronage of Anmco, SIC and Gise.
The main topics of modern cardiology will be addressed with the leading experts at national level. Friday 25 October, prof. Gianluca Campo, full professor of cardiology at the University of Ferrara, together with Dr. Bartolomucci will be the protagonist of a masterful reading. While Prof Pasquale Perrone Filardi, professor of the Federico II University of Naples and president of the Italian Society of Cardiology, will moderate the session on “dyslipidemias and the heart”. Ample space will be given to the treatment of mitral disease and the first case performed at the cardiology of Andria will be presented, the implantation of the Carillon Mitral Contour system with the intervention in connection from Poland by Prof. Tomasz Siminiak, one of the world’s leading experts in the method.
Saturday 26 October will be dedicated to the most modern and innovative methods aimed at electrophysiology and cardiostimulation. The topic of ablation will be discussed with the techniques currently in use and above all electroporesis, a modern and minimally invasive methodology which, as already mentioned, the Andria electrophysiology laboratory will soon be equipped with. This technology consists in the application of a very intense electrical impulse in the areas of the heart responsible for arrhythmic anomalies. Through the use of these impulses, which act only on targeted points compared to traditional methodologies, this method is less harmful to the structures surrounding the heart, such as nerves, esophagus and blood vessels and is, therefore, burdened by a lower risk of complications, thanks to tissue selectivity. Furthermore, this procedure has operation times reduced by 30% compared to traditional methods.
Wednesday 23 October 2024
