Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) is a cardiac arrhythmia that occurs when there is an additional electrical pathway downward from the atria to the ventricles, causing ventricular fibrillation (tachycardia, when the heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute). Although this is one of the most common cardiovascular conditions today, the cause of the WPW syndrome has not been determined.
The main symptoms of WPW syndrome are sudden fatigue, unexplained nervousness, palpitations, sudden fainting. The disease causes many inconveniences in daily life, and it is especially dangerous if the illness accidentally occurs while the patient is operating machinery or a means of transport. When a patient experiences the above symptoms, they should be examined via electrocardiogram (ECG) and receive immediate treatment to avoid dangerous complications such as hypotension, heart failure and sudden death.
Currently, radiofrequency therapy to treat WPW syndrome is an effective treatment widely applied at leading heart centres around the world. At FV Hospital, the electrosurgery procedure is performed in the Interventional Catheterisation Laboratory (Cathlab) with specialised equipment including digital subtraction angiography, cardiac electrophysiological probe systems and radio frequency energy generators. The rate of successful treatment by this method is greater than 90 per cent and the reintervention rate is below five per cent.
At FV Hospital, the procedure is performed by Dr Hoang Quang Minh, a senior doctor at the Department of Cardiology who has more than 10 years of experience in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with electrophysiological methods, ablation and pacing. The patient is anaesthetised in place and doctors insert an electrode wire via a vein in the thigh up to the heart, then painlessly burn away the extra electrical path in the heart. It takes 45 minutes to complete one physiological ablation.
Dr Quang Minh says that when patients are screened for and diagnosed with WPW syndrome, treatment not only helps patients to live a more comfortable life but also reduces risk of atrial fibrillation, a dangerous condition which can cause a stroke.
To make an appointment with Dr Hoang Quang Minh, please contact:
Cardiology Department, FV Hospital: No. 6 Nguyen Luong Bang, Tan Phu Ward, District 7, HCMC
Hotline: (028) 5411 3467
