Page 12 - MidWeek - February 22, 2023

12 MIDWEEK FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Dr. Hiroshi Ashikaga de- cided to enter the medi- cal field after he lost his grandfather suddenly when he was 10.
DR. HIROSHI ASHIKAGA, cardiac electrophysiologist at Pali Momi Medical Center Interviewed by Don Robbins
All About The ‘Heart’ Of The Matter
Dr. Hiroshi Ashikaga, cardiac electrophysiologist at Pali Momi Medical Center, speaks with a patient. PHOTOS COURTESY HAWAI‘I PACIFIC HEALTH
“Since I was raised by my moth- er, who was a single parent, my maternal grandfather was a father figure. It was devastating to my family. That’s when I decided to become a physician specializing in sudden cardiac death,” shares Ashikaga, who is a cardiac electro- physiologist at Pali Momi Medical Center.
I take care of patients with a wide variety of heart rhythm disorders. Although cardiac electrophysiolo- gy is a subspecialty within cardiol- ogy, our work style is very similar to that of surgeons, so we often do procedures.
Is there work in Hawai‘i to ex- pand treatment of arrhythmia at all ages?
He earned his medical degree at University of Tokyo, completed his residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York and held fellow- ships at University of California San Diego, the National Institutes of Health and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
What types of conditions do you typically see and what are the standard treatments?
There is a plan to formalize an ongoing collaboration between Pali Momi and Kapiʻolani medical cen- ters. Currently, Kapiʻolani pediatric cardiologist Dr. Andras Bratincsak and I are working together on cre- ating a smooth transition and conti- nuity of care for pediatric patients with arrhythmia and adult patients with congenital heart disease who underwent corrective surgery at a young age.
He served as an assistant pro- fessor, then associate professor, at Johns Hopkins for 10 years. Ashi- kaga came to Hawai‘i from there, and is an expert in correcting ir- regular heartbeats — arrhythmia and tachycardia. He is among the first physicians in the state to of- fer new technologies for treating
For patients with very slow heart rates, we usually implant pacemak- ers. For patients with rapid heart rates, regular or irregular, I per- form minimally invasive procedures called catheter ablation, which fixes abnormal electrical circuits of the heart. For patients with a high risk of sudden death or someone who resuscitated from sudden death, de- fibrillators can be placed in the chest to regulate the heart.
Catheter ablation either burns or freezes heart tissue in a controlled fashion to change the electro- physiology of the heart. Infusion of highly concentrated ethanol —about97%to99%—isarela- tively new way of catheter ablation to alter the properties of the heart tissue chemically. Recent studies found that ethanol infusion is an effective way to treat some of the very complex heart rhythm disor- ders, which were otherwise diffi-
cult to treat. Currently, Pali Momi is one of the first medical centers in Hawai‘i to provide this type of treatment. I have been teaching the procedure to my peer electrophys- iologists across the country. My goal is to now share my specialized knowledge in Hawai‘i and expand the electrophysiology program at Hawai‘i Pacific Health to benefit more patients.
Pacemakers can also be used. Are
What keeps you inspired?
these conditions.
there any innovative treatments using the devices?
What do you do as a cardiac elec- trophysiologist?
I am one of the few physicians in Hawai‘i who performs left bun- dle area pacing for pacemakers and defibrillators. This new technique provides a more natural heart con- traction and can prevent some of the issues from long-term artificial heart pacing.
Explain how the fairly new tech- nology of ethanol infusions work and how it can be used to further stabilize irregular heartbeats.
Adventures into the unknown world keep me inspired. I love traveling, learning new topics and having direct experiences.
Live a HEART-HEALTHY life.
Primary care physicians can help spot heart conditions early and get you started on a plan to keep you and your heart well. See
HawaiiPacificHealth.org/PrimaryCare