Dan Wiseman: Ventricular Tachycardia

At only 18, Dan Wiseman was facing a life of medication, reduced activity, and worries about a cardiac arrhythmia. During a routine physical exam before his junior year in wrestling, his family physician discovered that Dan had an irregular heart beat. He was later diagnosed with frequent irregular beats (premature ventricular complexes or PVCs) that left him with an enlarged left ventricle and poor cardiac output. Dan was told to limit his physical activity, and he underwent routine drug testing for his arrhythmia, during which he was hospitalized for a week. The change to his lifestyle and continuous medication left him with feelings of depression. "Mentally, it really bothered me to take medication. I didn’t want to take pills for the rest of my life."

Dan was referred to Dr. Mark Niebauer, an electrophysiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Niebauer discovered that Dan had an inducible ventricular tachycardia. After a failed attempt at conventional mapping and ablation, Dan underwent a successful procedure with the   3000® System in November 1998. Shortly afterward, he was removed from all medication. Dan now has a regular heart rate and normal cardiac output. He’s looking forward to pursuing his college degree, an interest in biking, and a life without pills or physical limitations.

Dan Wiseman was a patient in the US clinical trial of the   3000® System for ventricular tachycardia.