{"id":895727,"date":"2026-09-14T18:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895727\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:58:13","slug":"montreal-cardiologists-perform-canadas-first-of-kind-procedure-to-treat-blood-clots-and-arrhythmia-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895727\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal cardiologists perform Canada’s first-of-kind procedure to treat blood clots and arrhythmia at once"},"content":{"rendered":"

A patient for whom anticoagulant therapy was not appropriate benefited from a procedure performed as a Canadian first at the Montreal Heart Institute\u2014a procedure that killed two birds with one stone.<\/p>\n

The procedure, performed by Dr. Adrian Petzl, not only addressed the patient\u2019s atrial fibrillation but also neutralized a structure where 90 per cent of blood clots form\u2014clots that can subsequently lead to a stroke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe procedure is faster and causes fewer side effects,\u201d said Dr. Petzl, an Austrian-born cardiologist and electrophysiologist who chose to pursue his career at the MHI Arrhythmia Center.<\/p>\n

Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia. However, ablation\u2014which can be performed to correct the problem\u2014significantly increases the risk of clot formation, which is why anticoagulants are typically prescribed for these patients.<\/p>\n

Long-term anticoagulant therapy may not be appropriate, however, because the patient, for various reasons, is at too high a risk of bleeding. In such cases, two separate procedures must be performed: the first to ablate the atrial fibrillation, and the second to neutralize the structure\u2014the left atrial appendage\u2014where the vast majority of clots originate.<\/p>\n

Dr. Petzl recently used two new devices developed by Abbott\u2014the VOLT pulsed-field ablation catheter and the AMULET atrial appendage occlusion device\u2014to address both issues during a single procedure.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Patients) don\u2019t need long-term anticoagulants because they\u2019re well protected by this device,\u201d explained Dr. Petzl. \u201cWe can treat both conditions with a single procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The procedure offers numerous benefits for the patient, starting with the fact that it can be performed under sedation, without general anaesthesia, since it is only minimally painful, if at all. This means that, in some cases, the patient may be discharged the same day.<\/p>\n

\u2013This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews<\/p>\n

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