AUBMC offers a new novel procedure to relieve cardiac arrhythmia symptoms

 Further cementing its place as a pioneer in the healthcare sector, the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) recently became the first hospital in the Middle East and North Africa to successfully implant a permanent His-Bundle Pacemaker (HBP), intended to relieve arrhythmia symptoms in patients with various rhythm disturbances associated with slow pulse and heart failure.

His-bundle Pacing (HBP) has emerged as an alternative means of pacing the ventricles. HBP may help prevent adverse remodeling in patients with heart block and might even provide benefits similar to those of cardiac resynchronization therapy pacing.

“Permanent HBP is a promising option for cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with right bundle branch block (RBBB) and reduced left ventricle ejection fraction,” said Dr Marwan Refaat, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at AUBMC. “His-Bundle Pacing appears to be more physiologic and more likely to prevent heart failure and death in patients undergoing pacemaker implantation,” added Dr. Refaat.

Alongside Dr Refaat, the procedure was performed by Dr Moeen Saleem, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Edward Hospital, Naperville- Illinois, USA; Dr  Kousik Krishnan, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago- Illinois, USA and Dr. Rod Passman, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago-Illinois, USA during the MedGlobal Medical Mission in Lebanon, on April 8, 2019. The patient was doing well on his follow-up visit.

As opposed to traditional pacing, which simply paces from one spot in the heart leading to an uncoordinated contraction, HBP takes advantage of the natural conduction fibers to pace the heart, allowing a coordinated and synchronized contraction of the heart.

Recent studies have found HBP to be a safe, feasible and superior pacing technique, reducing the combined endpoint of death, hospitalizations for heart failure or need for future pacemaker upgrades when compared to traditional cardiac pacing.