A heart arrhythmia is a condition where your heartbeat is either too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia) or irregular. Because arrhythmias range from harmless to deadly, it’s critical you receive expert diagnosis and care from experienced physicians.

Our team consists of experts in cardiac electrophysiology, the study of heart electrical activity (which controls the heartbeat). If you’re suffering from any type of arrhythmia, we’re here to help you reclaim a better quality of life.

Why Choose Us for Arrhythmia Care

  • Personalized, team-based approach: Rather than one doctor, you’ll have the full support of an entire team of experts. We approach your care as a team, consulting each other to find the best options for you. 
  • Compassionate support: Your patient navigator guides and supports you through every step — before, during and after your procedure.
  • Expertise: We’re one of the most qualified teams for heart arrhythmia care in the region. As part of an academic medical center, we handle more complex cases than most other programs.
  • Comprehensive care options: We perform every type of electrophysiology procedure, some of which are not available anywhere else in the county (like the new Watchman implant). 
  • Always improving: Improving patient care is important to us. We dedicate ourselves to research, clinical trials, training others in our field and educating the next generation of heart specialists.

Take the next step: If you’re experiencing unusual symptoms, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist right away.

Conditions We Treat

Our team treats all types of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), including:

  • Atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter, related conditions where the heart beats irregularly, causing increased risk of stroke and other complications. AFib is one of the most common conditions we treat, and up to 50% of people don’t even know they have it. Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms, including persistent heart palpitations, dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, shortness of breath or confusion. 
  • Heart palpitations, where your heart seems to skip beats, flutter, pound or beat rapidly.
  • Ventricular fibrillation (VFib), a life-threatening arrhythmia requiring emergency medical care. VFib can lead to cardiac arrest and may cause symptoms like gasping for air, stopping breathing and loss of responsiveness.
  • Fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
  • Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare condition causing very rapid heartbeat due to an extra electrical pathway in your heart.

Services We Offer

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which measures your heart’s electrical signals so we can detect certain problems. EKG is a quick, effective tool to identify potential issues and get you on the right path to care.
  • Electrophysiology study, which maps the electrical signals in your heart so we can better diagnose and treat your heart condition.
  • All types of cardiac (heart) ablation, where heart tissue that’s causing your arrhythmia is destroyed using high energy radio waves. Ablation can be a very effective, long-lasting tool to correct your heart rhythm.
  • Pacemaker implant, where a small device that helps correct arrhythmias is placed in your chest. 
  • Defibrillator implant, where a small device that detects heart rhythm changes and restores a normal heartbeat is placed under the skin. A defibrillator can save your life if you suffer from conditions like VFib or tachycardia.
  • Lead extraction, a procedure to remove leads (special wires used by your pacemaker or defibrillator) due to certain complications.
  • Watchman implant, where a device is placed in your heart to reduce stroke risk if you have atrial fibrillation. We’re one of the few teams in the region able to perform the Watchman implant procedure.
  • Loop recorder implant, where a tiny device is placed in your chest to monitor your heartbeat and find problems other devices can’t.

What to Expect

If you need heart arrhythmia care or evaluation, your cardiologist or primary care physician will refer you to our team. They’ll schedule an appointment with our office to start procedures that can diagnose or treat your condition. 

Our team consists of electrophysiologists (heart rhythm doctors), technicians and nurses devoted to providing compassionate, excellent care. You’ll find us in the Schuman Pavilion on the medical center campus.

Diagnosis

When you arrive, you may already have a diagnosis or you may need more detailed diagnostic procedures. These procedures help guide diagnosis and treatment by providing detailed information about your condition. You may need procedures to:

  • Measure your heart rhythm
  • Map how electrical signals travel in your heart
  • Image the structure of your heart, arteries and surrounding tissues

After any tests, your care team will make sure you fully understand your condition and what treatment may involve.

Treatment

Before we start treatment, we’ll sit down with you in a consultation to discuss your treatment options in detail. We’ll review procedures, what they involve, how long they take and the potential benefits and risks. 

Various treatment options are available for arrhythmias, and our team is experienced in each. Depending on your condition, treatment may involve options like medications, implantable devices or minimally-invasive procedures (less damaging procedures with easier recovery).

Your procedure will usually take place about one week after your first appointment with us. We’ll let you know if you need to follow any special instructions to prepare for the procedure. Preparation might include avoiding food and beverages the night before or pausing certain medications.

Most patients are able to go home the same day or the day after their procedure. You may need to stay for two or more days, depending on the procedure and your unique needs.

Follow-Up

We’ll give you a call two days after your procedure to see how your recovery is going. Most patients find immediate, significant relief after just one procedure, and follow-up appointments help make sure relief is long-lasting.

Within the next month (or sooner for implant procedures), you’ll need to come back in for a follow-up appointment. Because monitoring and managing arrhythmia is critical to heart health, regular follow-up appointments may be needed every six months. The time between your follow-ups may vary depending on your condition.

Arrhythmias can change over time, as can your heart health. We’ll continue to monitor and adjust your care plan and implanted devices. If you need additional procedures in the future (including lead extraction), you can feel confident your heart is in the right hands.

Take the Next Step

If you’re experiencing unusual heart rhythm, pain, palpitations, dizziness or weakness, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist right away. While many arrhythmias are harmless, some may become worse over time and others are life-threatening.

Why Choose Us for Arrhythmia Care

  • Personalized, team-based approach: Rather than one doctor, you’ll have the full support of an entire team of experts. We approach your care as a team, consulting each other to find the best options for you. 
  • Compassionate support: Your patient navigator guides and supports you through every step — before, during and after your procedure.
  • Expertise: We’re one of the most qualified teams for heart arrhythmia care in the region. As part of an academic medical center, we handle more complex cases than most other programs.
  • Comprehensive care options: We perform every type of electrophysiology procedure, some of which are not available anywhere else in the county (like the new Watchman implant). 
  • Always improving: Improving patient care is important to us. We dedicate ourselves to research, clinical trials, training others in our field and educating the next generation of heart specialists.

Take the next step: If you’re experiencing unusual symptoms, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist right away.

Conditions We Treat

Our team treats all types of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), including:

  • Atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter, related conditions where the heart beats irregularly, causing increased risk of stroke and other complications. AFib is one of the most common conditions we treat, and up to 50% of people don’t even know they have it. Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms, including persistent heart palpitations, dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, shortness of breath or confusion. 
  • Heart palpitations, where your heart seems to skip beats, flutter, pound or beat rapidly.
  • Ventricular fibrillation (VFib), a life-threatening arrhythmia requiring emergency medical care. VFib can lead to cardiac arrest and may cause symptoms like gasping for air, stopping breathing and loss of responsiveness.
  • Fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
  • Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare condition causing very rapid heartbeat due to an extra electrical pathway in your heart.

Services We Offer

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which measures your heart’s electrical signals so we can detect certain problems. EKG is a quick, effective tool to identify potential issues and get you on the right path to care.
  • Electrophysiology study, which maps the electrical signals in your heart so we can better diagnose and treat your heart condition.
  • All types of cardiac (heart) ablation, where heart tissue that’s causing your arrhythmia is destroyed using high energy radio waves. Ablation can be a very effective, long-lasting tool to correct your heart rhythm.
  • Pacemaker implant, where a small device that helps correct arrhythmias is placed in your chest. 
  • Defibrillator implant, where a small device that detects heart rhythm changes and restores a normal heartbeat is placed under the skin. A defibrillator can save your life if you suffer from conditions like VFib or tachycardia.
  • Lead extraction, a procedure to remove leads (special wires used by your pacemaker or defibrillator) due to certain complications.
  • Watchman implant, where a device is placed in your heart to reduce stroke risk if you have atrial fibrillation. We’re one of the few teams in the region able to perform the Watchman implant procedure.
  • Loop recorder implant, where a tiny device is placed in your chest to monitor your heartbeat and find problems other devices can’t.

What to Expect

If you need heart arrhythmia care or evaluation, your cardiologist or primary care physician will refer you to our team. They’ll schedule an appointment with our office to start procedures that can diagnose or treat your condition. 

Our team consists of electrophysiologists (heart rhythm doctors), technicians and nurses devoted to providing compassionate, excellent care. You’ll find us in the Schuman Pavilion on the medical center campus.

Diagnosis

When you arrive, you may already have a diagnosis or you may need more detailed diagnostic procedures. These procedures help guide diagnosis and treatment by providing detailed information about your condition. You may need procedures to:

  • Measure your heart rhythm
  • Map how electrical signals travel in your heart
  • Image the structure of your heart, arteries and surrounding tissues

After any tests, your care team will make sure you fully understand your condition and what treatment may involve.

Treatment

Before we start treatment, we’ll sit down with you in a consultation to discuss your treatment options in detail. We’ll review procedures, what they involve, how long they take and the potential benefits and risks. 

Various treatment options are available for arrhythmias, and our team is experienced in each. Depending on your condition, treatment may involve options like medications, implantable devices or minimally-invasive procedures (less damaging procedures with easier recovery).

Your procedure will usually take place about one week after your first appointment with us. We’ll let you know if you need to follow any special instructions to prepare for the procedure. Preparation might include avoiding food and beverages the night before or pausing certain medications.

Most patients are able to go home the same day or the day after their procedure. You may need to stay for two or more days, depending on the procedure and your unique needs.

Follow-Up

We’ll give you a call two days after your procedure to see how your recovery is going. Most patients find immediate, significant relief after just one procedure, and follow-up appointments help make sure relief is long-lasting.

Within the next month (or sooner for implant procedures), you’ll need to come back in for a follow-up appointment. Because monitoring and managing arrhythmia is critical to heart health, regular follow-up appointments may be needed every six months. The time between your follow-ups may vary depending on your condition.

Arrhythmias can change over time, as can your heart health. We’ll continue to monitor and adjust your care plan and implanted devices. If you need additional procedures in the future (including lead extraction), you can feel confident your heart is in the right hands.

Take the Next Step

If you’re experiencing unusual heart rhythm, pain, palpitations, dizziness or weakness, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist right away. While many arrhythmias are harmless, some may become worse over time and others are life-threatening.