Mission Hospital Celebrates 1,000th Robotic Cardiac Procedure

A highly skilled team of cardiac electrophysiologists at Mission Hospital have become the leading providers of robotic cardiac ablation treatment in Southern California. Mission Hospital celebrates the significant milestone of Dr. Aseem Desai, Dr. Stephen Ehrlich, Dr. Lynne Hung, and Dr. Jay Tiongson with the successful completion of 1,000 robotic cardiac ablation procedures using Orange County’s only robotic system for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders.

Mission Hospital is at the forefront of arrhythmia medicine, being among about 100 hospitals in the world with Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation technology for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Electrophysiologists use the technology to repair the electrical circuits of the heart in a procedure called cardiac ablation. Mission Hospital physicians have used the technology to treat a broad range of patients who would otherwise be unsuitable for traditional treatments.

“I’m honored to have performed our 1,000th ablation procedure with robotics,” says Dr. Aseem Desai, co-director, Mission Heritage Heart Rhythm Specialists. “The precision provided by this robotic system is incomparable to anything we can do by hand, and when you combine that exactitude with the quick recovery of a minimally invasive procedure, the benefit to our patients is very exciting. Furthermore, because the catheter is ultra-soft and magnetically controlled, the risk to the patient is substantially reduced compared to a manual catheter.”

Esther Venzlaff was fortunate to be Mission Hospital’s 1,000th robotic ablation patient. “I had so much trouble breathing prior to the procedure, and I can’t believe how much my quality of life has improved, and so rapidly.”

“Dr. Desai and the entire team of caregivers at Mission Hospital were just wonderful,” says Venzlaff. “It was so reassuring to know that Dr. Desai and his team had so much experience in doing this procedure. I knew I was in very good hands.”

Recently, during the stay-at-home order, Dr. Desai had the opportunity to perform a simulated telerobotic procedure from his office in Orange County, controlling a catheter at the Stereotaxis headquarters in St. Louis, MO.

“This technology has the potential to bring this specialized procedure to areas of the state and country that don’t currently have access to an electrophysiologist and/or robotic cardiac ablation treatments,” shared Desai. “Tens of millions of individuals suffer from arrhythmias, which significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, and sudden cardiac arrest. This is a game-changer for patients who struggle daily with irregular and inefficient heart rhythm.”

To learn more about Mission Hospital's comprehensive Heart and Vascular Institute, please visit https://www.providence.org/locations/mission-hospital-mission-viejo/heart-institute.