Electrophysiology

Abnormal heart rhythms are called arrhythmias and they may prevent blood from circulating properly to your heart and brain. If your heart has an irregular (uneven) beat or is beating too fast, cardioversion is a way to restore a regular rhythm. Electrical cardioversions restore regular rhythms by sending an electrical shock to the heart.

Arrhythmia and AFib can cause bleeding, stroke, and heart attack. Cardiac ablation is a fairly non-invasive procedure intended to correct arrhythmia and Afib. Many patients with an arrhythmia or AFib will undergo an ablation to return them to a normal rhythm. Cardiac ablation can be performed surgically or through a catheter. It works by removing or freezing damaged muscle. This prevents it from causing damage to your heart.

An implantable loop recorder can capture information that a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter monitor may miss, particularly arrhythmias that are brief or infrequent. It may be used if you have an abnormal heartbeat, unexplained fainting, or unexplained stroke. A small device, called a cardiac event recorder, is implanted just under the skin in a minor outpatient procedure. The device allows your doctor to remotely monitor your heart while you go about your regular activities.

Our device monitoring clinic follows patients who have implanted cardiac devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, and newer devices used for the detection of cardiac arrhythmia. Patients visit the clinic shortly after having a device implanted. After the initial visit, in person visits may be once or twice yearly.

The great majority of these devices are followed from home, known as remote monitoring, using the patient’s phone or internet access. Technical information is taken from the devices in person, or monitoring from home, and relayed to our physicians.

A close relationship often forms between our device patients and our staff and our cardiovascular technicians. Furthermore, our clinic acts as a source of support and education for patient regarding their devices and heart rhythm.