HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital has completed its first cardiac ablation procedure using the Boston Scientific FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System, establishing itself as the only HCA Florida Healthcare facility offering this treatment between Pensacola and Tallahassee.
For Bob Webb, a 71-year-old retiree and avid golfer, the procedure meant finally understanding symptoms he had mistaken for acid reflux for years.
- “I would feel uncomfortable in my chest area and feel pain and pressure down both arms,” Webb said. “I would get to feeling this way anytime I did yard work or after eating a good-sized meal. I could not exercise and had to stop walking the golf course.”
About five months ago, Webb experienced new symptoms, including sudden feelings of faintness while sitting at his computer. His primary care physician, Dr. Chris Pappas, performed an EKG that revealed Webb was in atrial fibrillation. Pappas quickly referred Webb to Okaloosa Heart and Vascular Center where he saw Dr. John Dudley.
After receiving a loop monitor implanted in his chest on Veterans Day to track his heart activity, doctors discovered Webb’s heart was pausing to reset into sinus rhythm, with episodes occurring every other day and pauses lasting up to four seconds.
Dr. Dudley recommended Dr. Farhat Khairallah, who had recently joined the hospital from Tallahassee, to perform the ablation procedure.
- “Dr. Khairallah explained what was happening to me and it all made sense,” Webb said. “The location of the left ventricle in reference to my esophagus and the nerve endings made all the sense in the world that when my heart would start putting out electrical impulses, it would fire up everything and simulate acid reflux.”
The procedure proved successful, with Webb returning home the same day without requiring pain medication. “After a week, I felt great and have not had any of those previous symptoms,” Webb said. “I actually played golf one week and one day after surgery.”
Prior to the surgery, Webb had given up caffeine, carbonated drinks, red sauce, and spicy foods. “After the surgery, I have actually been able to drink a cup of coffee with cream in the morning for the first time in years,” he said. “Before the surgery, I could not walk to the mailbox and back without something kicking symptoms in. Or, I couldn’t watch an exciting football game without something happening.”
The system is designed to treat atrial fibrillation, particularly paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which causes irregular and rapid heartbeats. The technology enables physicians to deliver safe and effective treatment while reducing complications.
- “It only affects the cardiac tissue; it does not affect the collateral tissue, so there is no damage to the esophagus, no damage to the phrenic nerve,” said Dr. Farhat Khairallah, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. “We don’t need to monitor these structures, and that was time-consuming, and also adding to the expense of the procedure.”
For more information about cardiology services at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com.
