News

Kiosk educates Staten Island patients about heart health

August 8, 2013

What is often referred to as the most common form of heart arrhythmia, affecting more than 2 million Americans, now has a kiosk to educate patients about advanced health care solutions.

An interactive kiosk displaying content on atrial fibrillation recently debuted at The Heart Institute at Staten Island in New York, according to a news release.

Joseph T. McGinn, medical director and cardiac surgeon at The Heart Institute, and Soad Bekheit, director of electrophysiology, unveiled the kiosk, which features videos about Cryoballoon Ablation treatment. 

A-fib is caused by delayed electrical signals that cause the heart to contract at an abnormal rate. In most cases, patients are treated with pharmaceutical options, which include blood thinners, rate control drugs and anti-arrhythmic drugs.

In Cryoballoon Ablation, freezing air that reaches -70°C is released in the pulmonary vein to target the abnormal electrical signals that produce heartbeat irregularities.

A balloon-like tool used in this procedure allows the vein to be closed off from any new erratic signals, while also releasing the large amount of freezing air that ablates current irregular signals to the heart.

Read more about kiosks in health care and hospitals.