About EP HEART

The heart is a pump- a pump with valves, plumbing supply and electrical system. Cardiac electrophysiology relates to the field of abnormalities of the electrical system and rhythm of the heart. Abnormal rhythms may present as skipped beats, recurrent palpitations or as more sinister abnormalities that cause one to collapse abruptly. Other presenting manifestations include progressive fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath or a general worsening of the overall functioning of the heart. Certain cardiac rhythm abnormalities also pose risks for stroke.

 

Patients with abnormally slow heart rates can be treated with cardiac pacemakers.
Other patients, who are at risk for sudden death, either because of prior heart attacks or because of abnormal heart function may require implantation of a cardiac defibrillator.
Some patients with worsening heart failure have “wiring” blockage and may benefit from special pacemakers and defibrillators that help synchronize the way the heart contracts and functions. Implantation of a pacemaker or defibrillators is typically performed under mild sedation in a sterile setting in specialized cardiac catheterization labs in hospital.

 

Rhythm abnormalities from the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) include supraventricular tachycardia, atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation. Rhythm abnormalities from the ventricles ( the bottom chambers of the heart) include skipped beats (also called PVC’s) or more sinister and lethal arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia. Such abnormalities can be treated with antiarrhythmic medication, or by mapping and ablation. Mapping out the arrhythmia involves a study of the electrical system of the heart, an electrophysiologic study (EP). Such studies are performed in specialized cardiac catheterization labs in hospitals. Once the focus of the arrhythmia, or the short circuit involved, is identified, it is “cauterized” (ablation) using radiofrequency (similar to microwave energy). EP studies and ablations are typically performed under mild sedation with the advancement of specialized wires into the heart from veins in the groin. They are about as painless as having an IV inserted in your arm. Procedures typically last between one and four hours. Most patients plan on spending one night in the hospital for observation.