Our Services:

Electrophysiology Studies (EPS), Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI)

Your hearts pumping action is driven by a small group of cells which produce your own electrical current keeping your heart rhythm regular. If your heart rhythm has been irregular it may have resulted in dizzy spells, blackouts or palpitations.

The purpose of an EPS is to diagnose the abnormality occurring in your electrical system this procedure may take up to 2hrs.  The purpose of a RFA is to treat the abnormality by ablating (burning) the cells and their currents. This procedure may take up to 3 hrs.

The purpose of a PVI is specifically to treat an abnormality of the pulmonary veins by isolating electrical activity within the pulmonary veins.

For any of the above procedures you may be required to undergo a general anaesthetic. Your doctor will discuss treatment options with you and explain the reasons for his/her recommendations.

Pacemaker Insertion

A significant number of patients require pacemakers due to conduction problems. Permanent pacemaker implantation is performed either in the operating theatre under general anaesthetic or in the catheter laboratory under local anaesthetic. At time some patients may require a temporary pacemaker wire until a permanent implantation device is appropriate, your doctor will recommend the most appropriate procedure for you.

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)

An ICD is a device that helps correct fast and slow heart rates as it assists the heart to pump more effectively by coordinating the left and right ventricular contractions. It is also designed to deliver an electrical shock to the heart to restore extremely rapid and irregular heart rate to a normal rhythm.

Other Procedures

Cardioversion

Cardioversion is a process that involves applying electrical energy to the heart in an effort to shock the heart out of AF. In an external cardioversion you are given a medicine to help you relax then external paddles are placed on your chest or back. An electrical shock is sent through the paddles and travels through to the heart.

Loop Recorders

A loop recorder is a small device that is inserted to allow the monitoring of your heart’s rhythm. When a patient becomes light headed or feels palpitations they can activate the loop recorder to record their heart rhythm at the time. This allows your cardiologist to review and interpret the rhythm and decide upon the best management plan for your condition.