Ablation has been shown to be highly effective: around 90% in the case of AVNRT. Similar high rates of success are achieved with AVRT and typical atrial flutter.Cryoablation is a newer treatment involving the AV node directly. SVT involving the AV node is often a contraindication to using radiofrequency ablation due to the small (1%) incidence of injuring the AV node, then requiring a permanent pacemaker. Cryoablation uses a catheter supercooled by nitrous oxide gas freezing the tissue to −10 °C (+14.0 °F). This provides the same result as radiofrequency ablation but does not carry the same risk. If it is found that the wrong tissue is being frozen, the freezing process can be quickly stopped with the tissue returning to normal temperature and function in a short time. If after freezing the tissue to −10 °C the desired result is obtained, the tissue can be further cooled to a temperature of −73 °C (-99.4 °F) and it will be permanently ablated.This therapy has further improved the treatment options for AVNRT (and other SVTs with pathways close to the AV node), widening the application of curative ablation to young patients with relatively mild but still troublesome symptoms who might not have accepted the risk of requiring a pacemaker. Treatment
Most SVTs are unpleasant rather than life-threatening, although very fast heart rates can be problematic for those with underlying ischemic heart disease, or the elderly.
Velaglucerase alfa, sold under the brand name Vpriv and manufactured by Shire plc, is a hydrolytic lysosomal glucocerebroside-specific enzyme, which is a recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase indicated as a long-term enzyme replacement therapy for those with Gaucher disease Type 1. It has an identical amino acid sequence to the naturally occurring enzyme. It was approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 26, 2010.The most common side effects include abdominal (belly) pain, headache, dizziness, bone pain, arthralgia (joint pain), back pain, infusion-related reactions, asthenia (weakness) or fatigue (tiredness), and pyrexia (fever) or increased body temperature.Velaglucerase alfa was approved for medical use in the European Union in August 2010. Medical uses
Velaglucerase alfa is indicated for long-term enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) in people with type-1 Gaucher disease. Competitive products
Imiglucerase is Genzymes version of recombinant glucocerebrosidase. It is marketed globally under the trade name of Cerezyme. In addition, Protalix and Pfizer have received approval for marketing taliglucerase alpha in Israel, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. The companies are expected also to file for marketing authorization in Europe and elsewhere around the world. References
External links
"Velaglucerase alfa". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.