TRHMC Brings Two New Heart Procedures to the Region

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Reading Hospital and Medical Center now offers two new heart procedures to the Berks County area. TRHMC is the first in the region to offer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conditional pacemakers, and the first in Berks County to make cardiac cryoablation available to patients.

Unlike traditional devices, MRI conditional pacemakers can be used with MRI scanners under specified scanning conditions. This allows patients who normally would be unable to undergo MRIs to participate in this invaluable imaging technique.

Cardiac cryoablation is a procedure which uses extremely cold temperatures to modify the electrical system of the heart. This state-of-the-art technology has been used recently to treat atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart beats abnormally and can cause dangerous blood clots to form.

Both of these procedures are being performed at TRHMC by cardiac electrophysiologists trained at the world's leading universities.