Clinical Electrophysiology
Head – Dr Peter Kistler
Dr Peter Kistler is a cardiologist and a scientist who specialises in understanding the mechanisms underlying atrial arrhythmias. The team focuses on trying to understand why atrial fibrillation, a common problem which occurs in nine per cent of people over 80 and has an overall prevalence of 3 - 4 per cent in people over 60, is so common. This condition, where the atria (upper chambers of the heart) quiver instead of beating normally, is associated with a doubling of mortality and an overall increase in the risk of stroke for sufferers is four-fold.
Drugs currently used to treat atrial fibrillation have questionable efficacy and Peter's work is part of a drive to look at catheter-based approaches to treating the problem. Such procedures involve delivering a series of burns within the heart to attempt to isolate the lung veins from the back of the heart. It is believed that many of the triggers of atrial fibrillation are due to these lung veins. When they are "electrically" disconnected from the back of the left atrium it is possible to cure the condition in about 70 per cent of people who have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Peter's work is trying to help those with chronic atrial fibrillation, a group for whom this procedure is not as successful.
