Electrophysiology

When was the last time you thought about your beating heart? If your heart beats normally, you probably never think about it. But if you have an abnormal heart rhythm, you probably think about it a lot—and a Lutheran Medical Group electrophysiologist can help.

A cardiac electrophysiologist is a cardiologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) caused by problems with the heart's electrical system. For most patients, diagnosis begins with an electrophysiology study (EP) to locate the specific areas of the heart that are causing the abnormal electrical impulses, impulses that can lead to arrhythmias. During an EP study, how the heart works normally and how it responds to electrical stimulation is recorded. These results provide detailed information that allow physicians to diagnose and treat the condition. Some common treatments are pacemakers, internal cardiac defibrillators and radiofrequency catheter ablations. LMG physicians perform EP studies in the Lutheran Hospital catheterization laboratory.

EP studies can:

• Assess the need for an implantable device (a pacemaker or ICD) or treatment procedure (radiofrequency catheter ablation)
• Evaluate the effectiveness of certain medications in controlling the arrhythmia
• Find the source of arrhythmia symptoms
• Predict the risk of future cardiac events, such as sudden cardiac death

Other EP services include:

• Biventricular implantable cardiac defibrillator insertion and monitoring
• Implantable recorder insertion and monitoring
• Laser extraction of pacemaker and defibrillator leads
• Robotic catheter ablation
• Tilt-table testing

Conditions treated by electrophysiologists:

• Atrial fibrillation
• AV block
• Bradycardia
• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiomyopathy (dilated, ischemic or hypertrophic)
• Long QT syndrome
• Palpitations
• Rhythm disturbances
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Syncope or presyncope
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome