Cardiac arrhythmia is a term for any of a large and heterogeneous group of conditions in which there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. The steady beating of the heart results from the regular transmission of electrical impulses through the heart. When these electrical impulses are mistimed or uncoordinated, the heart fails to beat properly. This irregular heartbeat, otherwise known as arrhythmia, can result in complications that can range from fatigue to stroke or death. Heart arrhythmias are very common and millions of people will experience an abnormal heart rhythm some time during their lives. Some are really dangerous, however most are not directly life threatening but can be highly symptomatic strongly impairing quality of life.

Amongst the various arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation is the most common. It involves the two upper chambers of the heart, where there is a lack of a coordinated contraction. In atrial fibrillation, the heartbeat is irregular and rapid, sometimes beating as often as 500 times a minute; this is about six times faster than normal. Whilst atrial fibrillation is not in itself generally considered immediately life-threatening, it may result in palpitations, fainting, chest pain or congestive heart failure. Chances of having a stroke are five times higher. There are also strong arguments suggesting that cognition impairment and dementia are both associated with this disease. Atrial fibrillation may be treated with medication which either slows the heart rate or reverts the heart rhythm back to normal (i.e. the sinus rhythm). Synchronized electrical cardioversion may also be used to convert atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, but the results may not be maintained over the long term. People with this type of arrhythmia are often given anticoagulants such as Warfarin or other drugs to protect them from stroke. Surgical and catheter-based therapies may finally be used to prevent recurrence of atrial fibrillation in certain patients.

The cardiology unit at the Princess Grace Hospital specialises in the diagnostic of cardiac arrhythmia and its treatment by catheters. Doctor Nadir Saoudi, head of this unit, is a French Professor of cardiology, the former President of the Arrhythmia Group of the French Society of Cardiology, a member of the French national Academy of Medicine and an adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of numerous other international cardiology associations, has published over 180 research articles, more than 300 abstracts and two books. He is Founder and Director of the prestigious annual Monaco USA Arrhythmia Course in the Principality. He pioneered, from the Princess Grace Hospital, the use of magnetic navigation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias.  This is a state of the art technology in interventional electrophysiology and has been available at the hospital since 2006 however the system has recently been upgraded. Interventional electrophysiology is a technique during which catheters, thin flexible tubes with wires and metal tips, are used to map the heart and to correct various arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation by burning the heart tissue. Remote magnetic navigation operates by using two large magnets placed on either side of the patient’s thorax. Alterations in the magnetic field produced by these magnets deflect the tips of the catheters in the desired direction within the patient. Thereafter the electrophysiologist operates the catheter placement and direction remotely from a shielded room with computer screens, a mouse and a joystick. The technology has been proven to reduce physician and patient exposure to radiation, as well as optimise catheter tissue contact with increased safety.