Cardiac Electrophysiology: Talking About The Heart's Electric System
From your head to your toes, the heart is the organ pumping blood to all parts of your body. So, what regulates the pumping of the heart? Electricity is the answer and like any other machine, the heart can have electrical problems. The solution to these problems can be found with Electrophysiology. It's the medical specialty that deals with the heart's electric system, specifically heart arrhythmias. These heart rhythm disturbances can cause havoc resulting in various types of medical conditions. Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute's medical team can improve the health of patients dealing with heart arrhythmias and save lives.
Dr. John Cogan is the Director of Electrophysiology at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. "We have the technology to do a procedure where we can fix their arrhythmia and then they can go back to normal life and living in perfect health and happiness, which is what we want."
Memorial has a state-of-the-art high-volume heart treatment center and electrophysiology lab, performing more than 1,500 procedures a year to treat arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation (A-fib), pacemakers and defibrillators. Memorial's electrophysiologists, aka EPs, diagnose and treat many kinds of heart rhythm issues for all ages:
- Diagnostic tools including echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, and 3-D mapping systems
- Flouroless cardiac ablation to cure arrhythmias in adults with same-day discharge
- Pacemakers for patients whose heartbeats are too slow
- Defibrillators can prevent sudden death for patients who have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Treatments for rare conditions including syncope where patients experience fainting
- Adult congenital program for patients born with heart abnormalities
- New medication and treatment trials
Advancements in medicine give patients many treatment options. Memorial cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Demetrio Castillo states, "Fortunately, we're living in a time during which a lot of heart electrical conditions are now fixable."
The team approach is paramount for Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. Many specialists are involved with each patient's care: heart imaging, cardiologists, heart surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, and advance practice cardiac nurses. The focus is always on each patient, their family, and the specific treatment plan for the best outcome. "We really care for those patients," says Memorial cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Daniel Benhayon Lanes. "We feel very much part of this community and responsible for the health of the community, and that's something unique about this institution."
For more information, visit https://www.mhs.net/services/cardiac-vascular/treatments/electrophysiology.
Content provided by Memorial Healthcare System
