It's normal for your heart to occasionally skip a beat or flutter, but it's a potentially life-threatening problem for the more than 2 million Americans who have heart rhythm disorders-arrhythmias. Left untreated, the condition can lead to heart disease, stroke or even sudden cardiac death.
We provide a full range of services for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias. Arrhythmias occur when the electrical impulses in the heart are out of sync, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. Cardiac rhythm management (cardiac electrophysiology) is a growing specialty that deals with the electrical impulses, or rhythms of the heart. The electrophysiology laboratory at West Medical Center offers a variety of progressive treatment options such as pacemaker/ICD (defribrillator) implantation and ablation, including atrial and cryoablation.
Our diagnostic services include:
- Tilt Table Test-performed to reproduce fainting spells in people that may be prone to these episodes (syncope). The patient's heart rhythm and vital signs are monitored and recorded throughout the procedure.
- Electrophysiology Test (EP Test)-used to study the conduction or electrical system of the heart by recording electrical activity from within the heart. This enables the electrophysiologist to detect and study arrhythmias using specialized imaging and mapping equipment.
Our treatments include:
- Pacemakers-devices that constantly monitor heart rhythms. Pacemakers are implanted into the upper chest area and work by sending small electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a normal heart rate.
- Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD)-devices (slightly larger than a pacemaker) implanted into the upper chest area and work to send small electrical impulses to the heart muscle when needed to restore normal heart rhythm.
- Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation (RFCA)-a procedure, similar to an EP Test, which involves using a specialized catheter to deliver energy to an area of the heart tissue in order to eliminate irregular heart rhythms.
- Catheter Cryoablation-a procedure that uses very cold temperatures to destroy targeted heart cells, thereby restoring normal rhythm.