(ANSA) – ASCOLI PICENO, 10 AUG – With the fourth operation performed in the space of three months and the last one performed at the end of July on a 30-year-old man, the experience of the complex cardiology operating unit of the ‘Mazzoni’ hospital in Ascoli, directed by Pierfrancesco Grossi, in treating the disabling forms of neurovegetative syncope with the innovative procedure called cardioneuroablation is consolidated.
This type of operation, performed by the team of the simple electrophysiopathology operating unit headed by Procolo Marchese, confirms itself as a useful therapeutic tool that the Territorial Health Authority of Ascoli makes available to citizen-patients. This was announced by the same Ast of Ascoli Piceno.
Syncope – explains cardiologist electrophysiologist Procolo Marchese – is a temporary loss of consciousness. The most frequent form in young people is the one that occurs, for example, at the sight of blood, due to a strong emotion, or due to prolonged standing in hot and crowded places. It is called vasovagal syncope and is caused by a transitory excessive function of the vagus nerve that prevails over the sympathetic system, generating a sudden drop in heart rate and/or blood pressure, which are responsible for syncope.
In most cases, the condition is benign and can be managed through preventive maneuvers that avoid the traumatic consequences of the fall. However, – continues Marchese -, there are people who have frequent and disabling syncope due, mainly, to transitory pauses in the cardiac rhythm. In the past, the only treatment for these forms was the implantation of a pacemaker, which however is not the optimal solution in young patients.
For these patients, cardioneuroablation is a new treatment option. It is a complex procedure that arises from the experience in arrhythmia ablations. Through a 3D map obtained from a cardiac CT scan, the ‘nerve stations’ of the vagus nerve are identified and their elimination, ablation, is carried out using a catheter inserted from a peripheral vein.
After treatment, all patients are monitored remotely with a system that analyzes the electrocardiogram and transmits the data via telemedicine to the hospital department. This therapeutic opportunity – concludes Marchese - concerns only very selected cases and predominantly young subjects, and will require further scientific investigations to evaluate its long-term efficacy. So far, the results are very promising.
The complex operating unit of cardiology of the Mazzoni hospital and the team of Dr. Marchese – says the general director of the Azienda sanità territoriale of Ascoli, Nicoletta Natalini -, once again demonstrate the high competence and innovation of their interventions, as well as the commitment and interest in supporting scientific research. The AST of Ascoli, thanks to its professionals, is able to guarantee quality healthcare, and this is the path to continue to follow together.
“Our healthcare professionals demonstrate every day that they are able to provide excellent responses to citizens thanks to the most cutting-edge techniques that we as a regional council are supporting with significant investments,” said Filippo Saltamartini, vice president of the regional council and councilor for health of the Marche Region. (ANSA).