Electrophysiology Study
Since 1977, we have performed more than 20,000 electrophysiology studies.
Because many arrhythmias occur sporadically, the goal of an electrophysiology study is to reproduce the arrhythmia so that it can be identified and treated. Performed in the electrophysiology laboratory with the patient awake or mildly sedated and under constant monitoring (blood pressure and heart rate/rhythm), these studies involve inserting catheters into peripheral veins and threading them to various positions in the heart. The physician can then examine the electrical patterns of the heart and try to re-create the arrhythmia for observation and analysis. Once the specific arrhythmia is identified, treatment options such as catheter ablative techniques, drug therapy, surgical procedures, or device implantation are discussed. For those patients with arrhythmias that can be cured with catheter techniques, this may be considered as the first line of treatment. If drug therapy is selected as the initial treatment, the patient will return to the lab after a period of time for a repeat test to see how effective the drug is in controlling his or her arrhythmia. Should the arrhythmia recur during this testing, then other therapeutic options will be examined. And for patients who for various reasons are not candidates for drug therapy, surgical procedures and device implantation will be explored.
Specific testing procedures available include evaluation of sinus node function, AV nodal and intraventricular conduction, presence or absence of accessory pathways, and reproduction of supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Why do You Need an Electrophysiology Study?
Your Electrophysiology Study has been prescribed because your doctor knows or suspects that you have an abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. You may have experienced one or more of the following symptoms or had an abnormal test:
What is an Electrophysiology Study?
As you know, the heart contracts 60-100 times a minute to transmit blood throughout the body. Each time the heart pumps blood, it must get an electrical signal to do so. This comes from a network of "electrical wires", the heart's conduction system. During a Cardiac Electrophysiology Study, your doctor can map out the conduction system by recording simultaneous electrical activity in different locations of your heart much like an electrician checks wiring using a multimeter.
In some people, the signal starts elsewhere in the heart and/or follows an abnormal electrical pathway. These abnormalities can cause the heart to beat very slowly or very fast resulting in decreased blood supply to the brain and other vital organs and cause the symptoms described earlier.
How Can an Electrophysiology Study Help?
Since many arrhythmias occur sporadically, the goal of an electrophysiology study is to duplicate and then evaluate the arrhythmia in a controlled setting. Your doctor can check several different aspects of conduction at one time and decide upon appropriate treatment or need for further testing with you.
What Should You Expect During an Electrophysiology Study?
Your electrophysiology study will be performed in a laboratory specially designed for this purpose, the "EP Lab". This lab h
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