Electrophysiology

We treat all types of arrhythmia related to: 

• Tachycardia. Your heart rate is faster than normal. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of tachycardia.
• Bradycardia. Your heart rate is slower than normal.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common heart arrhythmia, produces an irregular and often fast heartbeat that causes poor blood flow. It can happen in brief episodes or be a permanent condition.

Because AFib weakens the heart and increases the chance for stroke or congestive heart failure, it's important to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist if you experience one or more of the following symptoms.

• Chest pain
• Extreme fatigue
• Heart palpitations (rapid, fluttering or pounding)
• Irregular heartbeat
• Lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath

An EP study provides information to help diagnose and locate the source of an arrhythmia. An electrophysiologist guides thin catheters to the heart through small incisions. The catheters deliver and record electrical signals in certain locations of the heart muscle. Using information from the EP study, cardiologists can determine the location of the irregularity and recommend the best course of treatment.

St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® is among the nation’s leaders in the number of EP studies performed. The hospital's high safety rates make this procedure as safe as many noninvasive tests.

This catheter-based procedure restores normal heart function. It does not require stitches or significant incisions.

This procedure is typically performed in an electrophysiology lab with an electrophysiology (EP) study. Small catheters directed to the heart deliver radiofrequency energy to burn and eliminate the tissue where the arrhythmia originates. We use 3D mapping system technology to treat complex conditions with more precision and accuracy.

St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® has the shortest procedure times of any arrhythmia center in the nation, which means less exposure to X-rays. This type of expertise contributes to the hospital's high safety and success rates.

Pacemakers and automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators can help manage cardiac rhythm. These devices are placed under the skin and are especially helpful to those at high risk for sudden death.

St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® is a leader in implementing these devices with a high level of safety and low risk for complications.

This minimally invasive procedure uses radiofrequency energy to create lines of ablation along the exterior of the heart. The result is scar tissue that interrupts the faulty electrical pathway that causes the irregular rhythm.

This procedure may be an option if you have a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and are already undergoing cardiac surgery, if you haven’t responded to drug therapy, or if you are at high-risk for blood clots.

The Arrhythmia & Pacemaker Center at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center has been at the forefront of treating arrhythmia—developing and performing electrophysiology procedures for over 30 years. The center is consistently among the first to use new techniques, including:

• Heat to ablate heart tissue to treat arrhythmias
• Implantable defibrillators to treat certain arrhythmias and to prevent initial sudden death
• Radiofrequency ablation to treat certain arrhythmias
• The Watchman device—a small catheter-based device placed in the left atrial appendage (area in the heart where most blood clots form) in an effort to lower the risk of stroke

Two dedicated electrophysiology labs are staffed by board-certified physicians, nurses and technicians who perform all types of invasive procedures, including:

• Pacemaker and defibrillator implants
• Complex left-sided ablations

• Joseph Levine, MD
• Joshua Stern, MD
• Vinod Jayam, MD
• William Shin, MD
• Gregory Siroky, MD
• David Hock, MD

• Armen Ovsepian, MD
• Justin Shaber, MD
• Eric Uyguanco, MD
• Alex Vidal, MD
• Ching Wei Russell Chen, MD
• Michael Weber, MD
• Leigh Ann Hutchinson, MD
• Anastasios Manaris, MD
• Todd Cohen, MD

• Bassiema Ibrahim, M.D.

• Abram Mozes, MD
• Armen Ovsepian, MD
• Michael Weber, MD
• Leigh Hutchinson, MD
• Alex Vidal, MD
• Trevor Verga, MD