Advanced heart rhythm care for life-threatening ventricular tachycardia
After repeated episodes of ventricular tachycardia, William “Ed” Bell needed a treatment plan that could support his weakened heart through a high-risk procedure. At University of Iowa Health Care, a multidisciplinary team supported Ed’s heart function with a temporary heart assist pump during an ablation to treat a complex rhythm problem and help him begin recovering.
William “Ed” Bell knew something was not right.
He had a heart attack in January 2026 and received care close to home in Rock Island, Illinois. But after recovering, he continued to experience pain in a place he had learned to take seriously.
“I had pain in my upper back, under my shoulder blades,” Bell, age 83, says.
By March, Bell was back in the hospital. His local care team recognized that he needed a higher level of care, so they transferred him to UI Health Care in Iowa City.
At UI Health Care, Bell’s family learned that he was having ventricular tachycardia, or VT, a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that starts in the heart’s lower pumping chambers. Mohammed Bashir, MBBS, a cardiothoracic surgeon, says these rhythms can make the heart beat too fast and inefficiently, causing blood pressure to drop and creating serious risks.
“It’s a very serious condition, and the treatment is very high-risk,” Bashir says.
- Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a serious heart rhythm disorder that can cause symptoms ranging from heart palpitations and dizziness to life-threatening cardiac events.
- Patients with recurrent VT or heart rhythm programs that don’t respond to medications may benefit from evaluation and treatment at an advanced heart center.
- Complex VT ablation procedures may require temporary heart assist device such as an Impella heart pump, to help maintain blood flow and support the heart during the procedure.
- Successful treatment often depends on multidisciplinary care teams that may include cardiac electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, critical care specialists, nurses, and rehabilitation professionals.
- Patients experiencing recurring arrhythmias, frequent shocks, or worsening symptoms should talk with their local cardiologist about whether a referral to a specialized heart rhythm center may be appropriate.
When medication was no longer enough
When Bell first arrived at UI Health Care, the initial plan was to control his rhythm with medication, allow his heart to rest, and bring him back later for an outpatient ablation.
But Bell continued having VT episodes. His daughter, Betsy Osborne, says he had his heart shocked back into normal rhythm in Rock Island before arriving in Iowa City. While he did not need to be shocked after arriving at UI Health Care, his rhythm continued to be a serious concern.
“Once he went into VT, then the plan changed,” Osborne says. “He couldn't do medicine anymore.”
Bashir says Bell's arrhythmias were not being controlled with standard medications.
“He kept having these events that required him to be admitted to the intensive care unit and receive IV medications to try to control the arrhythmias,” he says.
After another serious episode, the care team decided Bell needed the ablation sooner.
A high-risk procedure with extra support
For Bell, VT ablation offered a way to treat the abnormal electrical signals causing his dangerous heart rhythms. During the procedure, a cardiac electrophysiologist uses catheters to identify and treat the areas of heart tissue triggering the abnormal rhythm.
Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH, a cardiac electrophysiologist, performed Bell’s ablation. But because Bell’s heart was already weakened, the team recommended additional support to help his heart continue pumping blood during the procedure.
For Bell, the decision was straightforward.
“Whatever you need to do, do it,” he remembers telling the team.
Before the ablation, the team implanted an Impella, a temporary heart pump that will support the heart’s main pumping chamber during complex procedures.
“That stabilized his condition and allowed Dr. Dominic to perform the ablation,” Bashir says.
James Rossen, MD, an interventional cardiologist, explains that the Impella heart pump temporarily takes over part of the work of the left ventricle.
“The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber in the heart. The Impella helps pump blood to the entire body,” Rossen says.
For patients with weakened heart muscle, Rossen says this support can make it safer to complete an ablation.
“An ablation procedure can impose some stress on the heart,” Rossen says. “To have a pump that will temporarily reduce the heart’s need to pump is useful in getting the ablation done.”
Advanced care for complex heart rhythm conditions
For patients with ventricular tachycardia and other serious rhythm disorders, experienced specialists and advanced hospital resources can make complex treatment possible.
A team working together in real time
For Bell and his family, confidence came not only from the treatment plan, but from how the teams communicated.
His daughter remembers the surgical team, the electrophysiology team, nurses, and other care team members explaining what was happening and what would come next.
“Every single person we met was very kind and informative,” she says. “We felt very confident that they were going to help him, and that this is what we needed to do.”
The collaboration also stood out after the procedure.
Bashir says Bell’s case reflects a newer era of highly coordinated heart care, where different subspecialists come together around a patient whose case is complex.
“This is a unique era in cardiology and cardiac surgery,” Bashir says. “All these subspecialty physicians come together to try to figure out how to safely treat a patient.”
Rossen says this kind of collaboration is supported by the way UI Health Care teams work side by side.
“We are fortunate to work in a state-of-the-art cardiac cath laboratory that has really wonderful resources to treat complicated patients like this,” he says.
He says proximity between teams helps make communication easier.
“Our offices are immediately adjacent to one another,” Rossen says. “It provides a favorable environment for us to collaborate and work together to deliver the best care for patients.”
Advanced resources for complex heart rhythm care
Bell’s case required more than an experienced ablation team. It also required the critical care resources and specialists to respond quickly as his condition changed.
Rossen says patients with recurring or high-risk VT may benefit from treatment at a center that combines ablation expertise with advanced heart failure and cardiac support services.
“The expertise and experience of the ablation team is important,” Rossen says, “as are the other resources the hospital has to make the ablation as safe as possible.”
For patients with weakened heart muscle or heart failure, these resources can include temporary mechanical support such as Impella, a dedicated heart failure team, advanced cardiac therapies, and transplantation when appropriate.
Bashir says critical care is also essential.
“One of the most important resources is an ICU that can handle such critically ill patients,” he says.
This level of care, he adds, requires a tertiary center where multiple subspecialists work together.
For referring providers, Bashir says this multidisciplinary approach can offer another treatment option for patients with serious rhythm disorders.
Getting stronger after a lifesaving procedure
Recovery has taken time for Bell. He says it has been slow, but he has improved since coming home.
“I have gotten a lot better,” he says. “Whatever they did fixed me.”
Bell says he would encourage other patients facing a serious rhythm condition to trust the team.
“They know what they’re doing,” he says.
Meanwhile, he is continuing to focus on his recovery.
“I’m going to get stronger every day."
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