When electrical impulses to the heart are disrupted, KCC’s specialists provide complete diagnostics and treatment options.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when the two small upper chambers of the heart (the atria) quiver instead of beating correctly.  Blood may pool and clot in them instead.  If a piece of a blood clot leaves the atria and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke is the result.

Atrial fibrillation can be treated with medication, electrical cardioversion, IV medication, radiofrequency ablation, surgery or atrial pacemakers. 

Radiofrequency ablation is a non-invasive procedure used to treat some types of arrhythmias.

The procedure is done by a physician guiding a catheter with an electrode at its tip to the area of the heart muscle where there is a pathway.  The catheter is placed at the exact site in the heart where cells give off electrical signals that stimulate the abnormal heart rhythm.  Then, a mild, painless radiofrequency energy is transmitted.  The procedure stops the area from conducting the additional impulses that are causing the rapid heartbeats.

Electrocardiograms are good tests of the heart’s electrical system, but they are brief and can only capture data and activity taking place at the time of the test. Arrhythmias are intermittent and unpredictable so their cause may not be detectable with an EKG alone. An electrophysiologic, or EP, study can provide more information helpful in diagnosing and treating arrhythmias.

During such a test a cardiac specialist will initiate an arrhythmia event and collect information about the flow of electricity.

An EP study can diagnose the source of arrhythmia symptoms, evaluate medication effectiveness in controlling heart rhythm disorder, predict risk of future cardiac events and help assess the need for implantable devices or other treatments.

Every heart has a natural pacemaker called the sinoatrial node or sinus node.  It is a small mass of specialized cells in the top of the heart’s right atrium that makes the electrical impulses which cause the heart to beat. 

If the natural pacemaker is defective, the heart may beat too fast or too slowly or the heart’s electrical pathways may be blocked.  If that occurs, it may be necessary for artificial pacemakers to be inserted to regulate the heart.

An artificial pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device used to regulate the heart beat.  Some are inserted permanently and some are temporary and used externally.  Pacemakers use batteries to send electrical impulses to the heart.  Electrodes are placed next to the heart wall and small electrical charges travel through the wire to the heart.  Most pacemakers are demand pacemakers.  Sensors turn the signal off when the heartbeat is above a certain level and back on when the heartbeat is too slow.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators are devices that provide automatic electrical therapy on a chronic basis for patients with recurrent tachycardias or fibrillation. 

The devices are connected to leads positioned inside the heart or on the surface.  The leads deliver electrical shocks, monitor the cardiac rhythm and can pace the heart.  When the ICD detects the need, it delivers a shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm.

ICDs have been very useful in preventing sudden death in patients who suffer from recurrent, sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Studies have shown they may also prevent cardiac arrest in patients at high risk for ventricular arrhythmias.