University Hospitals Now Offering New Therapy for Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia

CLEVELAND - Patients suffering from refractory ventricular tachycardia, a life-threating heart condition, who are not suitable for existing treatment options now have another potential avenue for recovery thanks to a promising novel offering from University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a dangerous, rapid heart rhythm that causes symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, and fainting. It is a leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives in the U.S. every year. While most patients rely on implantable defibrillators to protect them, these devices only react to the problem by delivering painful shocks to terminate the rhythm. For some, these shocks happen frequently and cannot be stopped by traditional medications or invasive procedures.

This pervasive condition is known as "refractory" VT: a recurring rhythm that persists despite every attempt to stop it. While many patients are treated with catheter ablation - where thin, flexible tubes are guided into the heart to neutralize the areas causing electrical short circuits - it can be a long and physically demanding procedure. For some individuals, their heart is too weak or their overall health is too frail to safely undergo even an ablation, often leaving them with very few options to stop their recurring arrhythmias.

"Better treatments are sorely needed for this often-lethal condition," said Esseim Sharma, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist and Director of Ventricular Arrhythmias Research at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. "At University Hospitals, we strive to be at the forefront of innovation to bring our patients the best care. We worked for more than a year and a half to make this procedure available at our hospital."

Non-invasive stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for VT is a cutting-edge approach currently available at only a select few centers worldwide. It works by using precisely targeted radiation to neutralize the damaged heart tissue responsible for the "electrical short circuits" that cause VT. Because the procedure is entirely non-invasive, it offers a much safer alternative for patients who are too frail for traditional ablation.

While a standard catheter ablation can take four to six hours and requires navigating tools inside the heart, SBRT can be completed in about 40 minutes. Furthermore, SBRT can reach areas deep within the heart muscle that are difficult for a catheter to access, and it can be safely performed even in patients who have blood clots that would make a traditional procedure too risky.

Launching this program required a massive collaborative effort across disciplines. It begins with advanced cardiac imaging and AI-enhanced 3D models, which allow electrophysiologists to map the heart with incredible precision to identify the exact source of the irregular rhythm. This digital map then serves as a blueprint, allowing the team to plan a path for the radiation to reach the heart safely and effectively from the outside.

"Therapeutic radiation medicine now extends well beyond oncology, and plays a growing role here," said Daniel Spratt, MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology at UH Seidman Cancer Center and the Vincent K. Smith Chair in Radiation Oncology. "It is a multidisciplinary approach. It takes precision and collaboration among cardiology, radiation oncology, and our medical physics team to help us target exactly the area that's going to be treated."

University Hospitals has deep institutional expertise in both electrophysiology and radiation oncology and is uniquely well-poised to serve as a leader in this space as the field evolves. While this therapy is currently reserved for compassionate use, it's anticipated that indications and clinical applications will expand significantly in the coming years.

Click here for more information about non-invasive stereotactic body radiation for refractory ventricular tachycardia at University Hospitals.