A new diagnostic test, using computer-imaging technology, can give heart patients a further chance of survival. Heart mapping is a new procedure consisting of inserting a catheter into the hearts pumping chamber, while a monitor tracks the catheters movements. A 3D image of the heart is then created on a computer, showing the muscle's activity, and allowing the physician to detect the nature of the problem.
Heart mapping gives accurate information about the hearts condition, and can show electrical activity, even when the pump is not moving. It allows physicians to determine if patients having suffered from a heart attack have a healthy enough heart to undergo surgery.
This new technology gives the patients the opportunity to receive better treatment, appropriate to their condition, without going through numerous unnecessary tests.