Donors Like You Provide Groundbreaking Technology

New Treatment for A-fib Changes Lives

You probably know someone who struggles with atrial fibrillation (A-fib), a common heart rhythm disorder that can lead to irregular and fast heartbeats, increasing the risk of stroke. It is disruptive and dangerous.

For Lake City native Randy Matthews, A-fib was making it impossible to work. Randy co-owns an autobody shop in Scranton and the work requires strenuous physical labor.

“There were days at work that I would get so physically tired. My heart rate would spike, and I would go into A-fib...sometimes for minutes and sometimes for the entire day,” explains Randy.

After sharing with his son that he was having issues with his heart fluttering and racing, his son surprised him by scheduling an appointment for his birthday to consult with Dr. Prabal Guha, an Electrophysiologist with McLeod Cardiology Associates.

Dr. Guha suggested treatment with traditional ablation, a catheter procedure to reroute the heart’s electrical activity in the upper chambers by destroying small areas in the heart involved in the abnormal rhythm. This prevents any abnormal electrical signals from moving through the heart. Randy had the ablation, and at first his A-fib subsided. However, the ablation only provided temporary improvement, and the A-fib symptoms returned. Dr. Guha then offered Randy the option to try a medication before attempting another ablation.

He was admitted to the hospital and administered the medication and closely monitored. Quickly, they realized that the drug was causing him to have A-fib in the lower chamber of his heart, so they had to stop the medication, because this would cause major issues if continued.

Not long after this hospital stay, Dr. Guha shared exciting news with Randy that McLeod Regional Medical Center was now able to offer a new, groundbreaking technology called Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA), and he was a candidate.

McLeod Health Foundation donors like you provided funding to support the availability of this specialized treatment for patients in our region. PFA offers a promising alternative to traditional cardiac ablation methods with the potential for shorter procedure times, improved safety, and enhanced patient outcomes in the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Randy underwent the PFA procedure on a Thursday, and he was back to work on the following Monday.

“I feel very grateful to Dr. Guha, his team, and the McLeod Foundation donors who helped make this treatment available to me. They have given me my life back,” shares Randy.

Thanks to your support, McLeod Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in the Pee Dee Region to offer this improved treatment to patients battling this frightening condition.