The Brody School of Medicine at ECU and Vidant Health have announced the opening of North Carolina’s first specialized atrial fibrillation management clinic, located within the East Carolina Heart Institute at ECU.
The new program is aimed at preventing and managing the heart rhythm disturbance that causes more strokes in the United States than any other condition. It’s being led by Dr. Paul Mounsey, the new chief of cardiac electrophysiology at ECHI.
“Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib – the heart beating in an abnormal rhythm – is the chief cause of stroke,” Mounsey said. “Eastern North Carolina, like many other rural areas, experiences a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease than other areas of the country. So my colleagues and I are especially thrilled to be able to provide this service that will improve outcomes for the patients in this region.”
Mounsey specializes in managing all forms of cardiac rhythm abnormalities, including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia and atrial flutter. His expertise includes catheter ablation, an intravenous procedure in which tissue that is allowing faulty electrical signals to be sent, is scarred or destroyed to prevent abnormal heart rhythm. He also implants and manages all types of cardiac rhythm devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators.
Originally written by Amy Adams Ellis, Angela Todd . Published December 21, 2017. Photos by Cliff Hollis.