“What does a cardiac electrophysiologist do? ”

A cardiac electrophysiologist is a cardiologist that has further training in heart rhythm management. Electrophysiologists can perform procedures and surgeries that help treat and cure cardiac rhythm abnormalities.

Cardiac electrophysiologist (EP doctor) is a cardiologist who is specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of the heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias). The EP doctor will use the resting EKG, wearable and implantable heart monitors, invasive testing to diagnose the arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, PVC and SVTs. He or she would then recommend the specific treatment plan based on the type of the arrhythmia. The treatment can be one or a combination of medication, pacemaker, implantable defibrillator or catheter ablation.

This particular specialty of cardiology is concerned with the electrical function of the heart which can either go very slow or go very fast or become annoyingly irregular. Some of the electrical abnormalities require testing but for the most part serious thinking. The modern electrophysiologist is able to identify the abnormal tissue in the heart that causes electrical disturbances and on many occasions destroy a tiny piece of the heart muscle to interrupt the electrical disturbance and help the patient either feel better or in some cases live longer. Often times patients who have had large heart attacks may be at risk for dropping dead and many more people drop dead in the United States who have never had a previously diagnosed heart problems. Electrophysiologists implant internal cardiac devices that can give a patient an electric shock and restore the heartbeat. This can help many people who otherwise would have died suddenly. Sometimes the risk for sudden death runs in families. Sometimes these electrical abnormalities happen in little children and people who are in the prime of life. As with anything as we get older our risk for having electrical problems goes up.

To make it very simple.. A cardiac electrophysiologist is an " electrician for the heart".

A cardiac electrophysiologist is a physician who specializes in the electrical abnormalities of the heart mainly abnormal heart rhythms. These can include abnormal rhythms originating from the upper chambers of the heart typically called supraventricular tachycardias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or any reentrant circuits that can cause abnormal rhythms. Or abnormal rhythms from the lower chambers of the heart that are called ventricular tachycardias. Electrophysiologists also can perform catheter ablations to eliminate some of these abnormal rhythms or implant subcutaneous devices like pacemakers or defibrillators to help regulate and control any heart arrhythmias.