A study in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that using 3-D imaging for a cardiac procedure results in improved patient outcomes.
The researchers, led by Dee Dee Wang, MD, a cardiologist at Detroit-based Henry Ford Hospital, investigated the implantation of a left atrial appendage closure device in patients with atrial fibrillation. They compared the outcomes of those who underwent the procedure with 3-D imaging and those who underwent the procedure with traditional 2-D imaging.
Here are their findings:
1. With 3-D imaging, cardiologists used an average of 1.245 devices per implantation attempt; in a previous national study with 2-D imaging, cardiologists used an average of 1.8 devices per implantation attempt.
2. With 3-D imaging, the procedure had about a 0 percent complication rate; the national average complication rate is 16.3 percent, which is based on previous clinical trials with 2-D imaging.
3. The length of stay for the procedure decreased by 34 minutes when using 3-D imaging, which helped to reduce patient recovery time and complications.
4. The researchers were able to offer the procedure to more patients with the 3-D imaging technique; had traditional 2-D imaging been used, 18.9 percent of the patients would have been turned down for the procedure.