Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Heart patients at the University of Kansas Hospital are benefiting from the same GPS technology that helps them navigate the streets in their cars.

The Kansas City Star reports that doctors at the hospital are the first in the county using a new system called MediGuide Technology. It drastically reduces the amount of radiation used when inserting catheters to treat heart abnormalities.

Typically, doctors use a rapid sequence of X-rays to see the heart and find their way around with a catheter. The problem is the method leads to relatively long periods of radiation.

Doctors use radiation just once with the new procedure. They then use catheters with sensors at the tip. Those sensors show doctors where they are inside the heart, guiding them to damaged areas.