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Most of us take the rhythm of our heartbeat for granted. We don't even notice it, because it keeps its steady pace. Except for the occasional harmless flutter, the beat is rhythmic and predictable.
For the five million Americans with arrhythmia, however, a steady heartbeat isn't a given. The heart may race, a condition known as tachycardia, causing dizziness, lightheadedness and in some cases, posing a life-threatening danger. The most serious arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation, can actually cause the heart to stop pumping blood.
Fortunately, advances in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmia have led to new strides in its control. Some of those strides are taking place at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. As part of the expansion of its cardiac services, the Heart Pavilion now includes an electrophysiology (EP) lab, where cardiologists can perform advanced diagnostic tests to pinpoint the cause and site of arrhythmia.
During the minimally invasive test, a catheter is inserted through a tiny incision in the patient's groin. The catheter is threaded into the heart, where it senses electrical activity to provide a detailed assessment of the heart's rhythm. Three-dimensional images map heart function, offering important diagnostic data about heart function. The testing procedure, done while the patient is sedated but awake, takes two to four hours. After the procedure, the patient is required to rest for one to two hours.
Depending on the test results, medications or devices may be recommended to control the patient's arrhythmia. Devices include pacemakers and implantable cardiovertor defibrillators (ICDs). Some arrhythmias are best addressed through a procedure called cardiac ablation. Ablation, which once involved open-heart surgery, can now be performed in the EP lab using minimally invasive catheterization. The procedure involves locating and cauterizing or freezing the source of the arrhythmia, typically a small section of problematic tissue.
Patients sometimes return to the EP lab after treatment, where post-intervention diagnostic imaging can help cardiologist evaluate the treatment's success. The EP lab, which began operation in April 2007, is one of many new additions to the hospital's cardiac facilities, the result of a $5 million Heart Pavilion expansion.
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