Transportation
Transportation
BY GRACE DICKENS & BEN THOMPSON
BY KAMERYN GRIESSER
St. David’s pioneers heart treatment
Long-term closures coming up for US 183
Attempt to stall I-35 expansion thwarted A regional transportation planning body rejected Austin City Council members’ attempt to stall funding for the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation’s upcoming I-35 expansion project before it breaks ground. The big picture Four city officials sitting on the Trans- portation Policy Board of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization sought to hold off on supporting funding more than $4 billion in I-35 projects. Those opposed to project progression were pushing for an analysis of air quality impacts stemming from the I-35 expansion and the consideration of funding other local mobility projects, Austin officials said. Capital Express Central construction is set to begin this year, according to TxDOT.
Summer closures Long-term closures are focused on frontage roads this summer. Overnight closures last from 9 p.m.-5 a.m.
The bigger picture
Currently, St. David’s Medical Center is the only one of six St. David’s HealthCare locations to offer the treatment. Eventually, Natale said he hopes the PFA system will evolve to be able to treat a wider range of heart arrhythmia conditions.
The Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at Austin’s St. David’s Medical Center was the first hospital in the U.S. to use a new treatment for heart arrhythmia following final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January. Heart arrhythmia is a condition most common among middle aged patients that causes irregular heart beats, increasing the risk for stroke and cardiac failure. Doctors Andrea Natale and Amin Al-Ahmad from the TCAI were among 67 global operators chosen to begin testing the technology in 2021. Following its approval, the treatment can now be used at hospitals across the country. The treatment, called pulsed field ablation, delivers electrical pulses to cardiac tissue to destroy cells causing irregular rhythms, making small scars or ablations, according to
183
Treating arrhythmia Traditional methods use heat or cold to disrupt irregular heart signals, but pulsed field ablation:
Continuous closure: 1 Southbound right two lanes (early summer) and left two lanes (late summer) from Duval Road to Balcones Woods Drive Overnight closure: 2 Loop 360 to Braker Lane (through July 31) 3 Balcones Woods to Braker Lane exit ramp (through Aug. 31) 4 Braker Lane entrance ramp to Balcones Woods (through Sept. 15)
Drivers can anticipate several road closures this summer as work continues on the US 183 North mobility project, according to project officials. The details The right two lanes of the southbound frontage road from Duval Road to Balcones Woods Drive will have continuous closures starting in June, followed by the left two lanes later this summer. For overnight closures, Loop 360 to Braker Lane will have a northbound left lane closure lasting through July, while a southbound right lane closure from Balcones Woods Drive to Braker will go through August. An additional northbound left lane closure is set for the Braker entrance ramp to Balcones Woods through Sept. 15. In early summer, traffic will shift into the newly-paved center median over the course of a few weeks, according to project officials.
Does not use heat or cold energy
1
BALCONES WOODS DR.
Uses short electrical pulses to destroy cells
Is considered safer than other methods of ablation Typically results in fewer complications post-procedure
This historic milestone represents the biggest advancement in the electrophysiology field in
3
4
decades, as it will allow patients to be treated more safely and effectively, ultimately restoring their quality of life. DR. ANDREA NATALE, TCAI
SOURCES: MAYO CLINIC, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, ST. DAVID’S MEDICAL CENTER & TEXAS CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA INSTITUTE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
a news release. Previous systems used excessive heat or cold to destroy the cells, which could damage surrounding tissue, the news release said.
2
GREAT HILLS TRL.
360
N
SOURCE: CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
HYMEADOW 12611 Hymeadow (512) 506-8401
NORTH 620 10601 N FM 620 (512) 506-8316
ARBORETUM 10515 North Mopac Expressway (512) 342-6893
Powered by FlippingBook