Cardiac electrophysiology examines, diagnoses, and treats issues within the heart’s electrical system. Electrophysiologists, specialists in this field, typically meet with patients experiencing various heart conditions. They perform different tests to measure how well the heart functions and offer treatment options.
Heart Issues That Cardiac Electrophysiology Addresses
Electrical signals within the heart control the blood flow and heartbeat inside the body. A disruption could lead to a wider health problem, such as arrhythmia, a term for heart rhythm issues. Damage from a disease, injury, or inherited genetic condition causes a heart rhythm disorder. These conditions may also indicate that a patient could face more severe heart problems in the future.
Patients with any congenital heart defect, heart disease, or a family history of heart conditions or sudden cardiac death should consider seeing an electrophysiologist. A patient should also consider seeing one if they experience symptoms such as:
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Pounding in the chest
- Shortness of breath
When it comes to the different heart conditions treated by cardiac electrophysiology, they are classified by the location in the heart where an issue originates. Common conditions treated by cardiac electrophysiology include:
- Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter: In both conditions, the upper chambers of the heart beat too fast. A patient experiencing atrial fibrillation, also known as Afib, has an even more erratic heart rhythm compared to atrial flutter.
- Atrial tachycardia: Under this condition, the upper chambers of the heart beat faster than the lower chambers.
- Heart block: Also known as atrioventricular (AV) block, this condition causes the electrical signals that control the heartbeat to travel improperly from the heart’s upper chambers to the lower chambers. It results in an abnormal heart rhythm, often with a slow or irregular heartbeat.
- Long QT syndrome: This condition develops when the heart’s electrical system recharges slowly.
- Premature atrial contractions: With this problem, the body experiences an extra heartbeat from one of the upper chambers of the heart.
- Premature ventricular contractions: This condition causes extra heartbeats that originate in the lower chambers of the heart before the next regular heartbeat.
- Sick sinus syndrome: A patient with this condition could be experiencing either a fast or slow heartbeat, or both.
- Supraventricular tachycardia: Patients with this condition, which develops in the upper chambers of the heart, have a heart beating too fast.
- Ventricular fibrillation: This condition causes the lower heart chambers to move too fast at random times.
- Ventricular tachycardia: This is a condition in which there are unusual electric signals in the lower chambers of the heart.
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: Patients with this condition have faster heartbeat signals, which take a different pathway than normal.
Types of Cardiac Electrophysiology Tests
An electrophysiologist may give their patients a variety of tests so they can examine their heart function. Based on what they observe, they can recommend further treatment options. Many treatments utilize technology for a comprehensive understanding of an issue. Examinations an electrophysiologist may give a patient include:
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: Computers and X-rays produce images of the bones and soft tissues, which physicians can check for blood clots or heart disease.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG): This quick, painless test detects if a patient has had a heart attack, has an abnormal heart rhythm, or has heart damage or heart failure.
- Electrophysiology study: During this test, catheters enter the heart and record its electrical signals, helping to determine where an issue is coming from.
- Heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A physician can look at images to examine blood flow and the heart without exposing the patient to radiation.
- Holter monitor: A patient wears this device, which looks for any heart issues as they engage in normal activities for a specific period.
- Tilt table test: The physician will examine a patient’s vitals to see how the body reacts to getting up after being in different positions.
- Transesophageal echocardiogram: This testing develops heart images from within the body with the use of sound waves.
- Transthoracic echocardiogram: Through this examination technique, ultrasound creates pictures of the heart.
Treatments Administered Using Cardiac Electrophysiology
Electrophysiologists offer different treatment options to their patients based on what they gather from testing. While they often prescribe medication, they may recommend that the patient undergo a procedure to help correct their heart rhythm issue. Two common cardiac electrophysiology procedures are:
- Cardiac ablation: During this procedure, cold or hot energy is applied to the damaged heart tissue area. The scar tissue produced by the energy blocks faulty electrical signals and prevents future arrhythmias.
- Cardioversion: During this treatment, a physician applies fast shocks with a small amount of energy to a patient to fix their heart rhythm.
Additionally, an electrophysiologist may recommend a device for their patients which are worn on the outside or implanted inside their body through surgery. The following devices can help aid in further study of a patient’s heart or be a tool to restore their heart rhythm:
- Cardiac event monitor: This tool records any rare-occurring heart issues that appear over an extended period.
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD): A patient may receive this implanted device under the skin in the chest. This tool produces low-energy shocks to the heart to combat irregular heartbeat or help prevent cardiac arrest.
- Pacemaker: These devices work by detecting irregular heart rhythms and sending electrical signals to the heart.
Trust Richmond University Medical Center for Quality Cardiac Electrophysiology Care
Heart rhythm issues can cause long-term health complications in the body. The skilled team members in the Cardiovascular Department at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, New York, know how to care for various heart issues. If you are experiencing an arrhythmia, see how cardiac electrophysiology can help improve your heart health. Contact us to schedule an appointment to see if cardiac electrophysiology is right for you.
