Electrophysiology Lab: Overview

The Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Service consists of five clinical cardiac electrophysiologists (one of whom is a pediatric electrophysiologist), 1-2 clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellows, an electrophysiology nurse practitioner, five nurses and one technician working in the electrophysiology laboratory, and two full-time pacemaker/implantable defibrillator technicians.

The clinical cardiac electrophysiology service provides expert, prompt, and comprehensive services for the gamut of arrhythmia problems ranging from in utero SVT to pacemaker implantation in the very old. Urgent outpatient referrals are generally seen within one week. Areas of special expertise include the evaluation of syncope (utilizing special diagnostic techniques when appropriate, including invasive electrophysiologic testing, head-up tilt testing, and implantable loop recorders), Atrial Fibrillation Clinic (using multiple therapeutic modalities alone and in combination including expert antiarrhythmic drug therapy, device implantation, and radiofrequency catheter ablation), evaluation of ventricular and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias including curative radiofrequency catheter ablation where indicated, prevention of sudden death in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and management of congestive heart failure with cardiac resynchronization therapy (biventricular pacing/defibrillation).

The electrophysiology laboratory performs about 1,000 procedures annually.