Electrophysiology

Heart specialists at Adventist Health Glendale (AHGL) use a wide array of options, including electrophysiology, to diagnose and treat arrhythmia, a heartbeat that is too fast or too slow.

When the intricate system that makes up your heart and vascular system stops working correctly, a person can experience a condition known as an arrhythmia. This can cause a wide range of symptoms, including chest pain, dizziness, palpitations and, on occasion, even death. It can feel like the heart is beating too slow, too fast or like it is missing beats (palpitations).

Treatment options available at AHGL include:

Electrophysiology Study (EPS)

An EPS uses small catheters, called pacing wires, to safely induce and visualize an arrhythmia in a patient so that physicians can most effectively treat the condition.

Cardiac Ablation

Cardiac ablation treats arrhythmia by threading a catheter through the groin or neck to the heart to deliver a pulse of energy, safely destroying abnormal electrical pathways in the heart. Biventricular pacing targets both the upper and lower chambers of the heart, while conventional pacemakers work only in the lower chamber. Biventricular pacing provides an additional sense of security for patients, such as those with heart failure or those whose heart muscle is too weak to work reliably.

Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD)

Implanted just below the collarbone or in the abdomen during a relatively brief procedure, this device delivers an electric shock to stabilize the heart's rhythm whenever a built-in sensor detects a dangerous arrhythmia.

For a referral to an electrophysiologist at AHGL, call (818) 409-8000.