In general terms, it can be said that arrhythmia interventions can be divided into three categories:

• Pharmacologic intervention, i.e., administration of specific medications that suppress or inhibit certain cardiac rhythm disturbances.  Your doctor will need to discuss the pros and cons of each of these proposed medications, any necessary monitoring, and the interactions they may have with other medications that you might be taking.

• Implantable Devices: As explained under pacemaker and defibrillators, under certain circumstances, your doctor will recommend implantation of devices such as pacemakers, which treat excessively slow heart rates, or defibrillators (ICD’S), which treat life-threatening rapid heart rhythms.

• Ablation:  This procedure is predicated on the knowledge that your electrophysiologist has of the mechanism and anatomic location of your heart rhythm disturbance.  If your doctor has determined that your cardiac rhythm disturbance is amenable to an ablation procedure, you will undergo an electrophysiologic test, at which time your cardiac rhythm disturbance will be induced and carefully analyzed.  Once its mechanism and exact location in the heart are precisely determined, the tip of the catheter will be placed in contact with the cells in your heart which are responsible for the abnormal rhythm and heating energy (RF energy) will be applied. This energy will likely heat the small area of contact to approximately 40-45˚ C for several seconds, which is usually sufficient to desiccate the cells responsible for the rhythm disturbance.  While these cells are rendered electrically inactive, the remainder of the heart is intact.  In some cases, such as atrial fibrillation, multiple sites require RF energy application.  Occasonally, an alternative energy form is used, such as deep cooling of the tissue, using cryoenergy.   Your electrophysiologist will discuss with you whether or not this form of therapy is appropriate for your condition, as well as the risks and benefits associated with such procedures.

Other Electrophysiology services that we provide include:

Arrhythmia Evaluation

Event Recording

Holter Monitoring

Pacemaker Implantation and Monitoring

Defibrillator Implantation & Monitoring

CRT Device

Implantable Loop Recorders