Piedmont Heart & Vascular Center is proud to offer the Tri-County region’s only cardiac electrophysiology program where our on-staff electrophysiologist, Arun Kundra, MD, utilizes innovative technologies to diagnose and treat interruptions and irregularities in heart rhythm.

What is Electrophysiology?

Electrophysiology is the science of the heart’s electrical currents, beginning within the heart muscle and tissue, through each heart muscle contraction.

Piedmont electrophysiology patients range in age, from pediatric patients with heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, to elderly patients suffering from advanced, severe heart disease and heart rhythm problems.

Many heart conditions can be diagnosed and treated through Piedmont’s electrophysiology program, including the following:

• Atrial fibrillation
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Heart blockage
• Pacemaker or defibrillator malfunction
• Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome

Diagnostic Testing – The Electrophysiology Study

An electrophysiology study can be performed for a range of purposes. This test can be used to identify heart rhythm problems, determine the best treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm, review a patient’s response to heart rhythm medications and check the heart before placement of a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

How is an electrophysiology study performed?

During this minimally invasive procedure, an electrophysiologist inserts one or more flexible tubes, called catheters, into veins located in the patient’s groin. Next, the catheter is threaded into the heart. An electrode is located at the tip of the catheter, detecting the heart’s activity and replicating any irregularity present in the patient’s heart rhythm. This process allows the electrophysiologist to uncover details around the arrhythmia, including where it originates from within the heart.

Treatment Options

At Piedmont Medical Center, once a patient is diagnosed with an electrophysiological heart condition, our electrophysiologist may recommend treatment options including anti-arrhythmic or blood thinner medications or a minimally invasive surgical approach. Sometimes, a heart problem discovered during the electrophysiology study can be treated during the procedure through treatments such as pacemaker placement or catheter ablation – a procedure to cure irregular heartbeat by heating or freezing the tiny problematic areas of heart tissue.

In addition, Piedmont Medical Center offers the following minimally invasive surgical treatment options through our electrophysiology program:

• Ablation for supraventricular tachycardia & Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome
• AV node ablation
• Defibrillator & bi-ventricular defibrillator implantation
• Laser lead extraction
• Pacemaker implantation

To find a heart specialist or learn more about electrophysiology program or additional specialized cardiac services offered at Piedmont Medical Center, please call 803-329-1234.

Less Pain, Quicker Recovery & Return to Your Normal Routine

As part of our continued commitment to serving our community with advanced cardiac care, we’ve recently added a sophisticated new cardiac catheterization suite featuring dedicated catheterization laboratories (cath labs) where our cardiovascular clinical team delivers interventional heart treatments, including Piedmont’s newest advanced cardiac service – radial catheterizations.

Cardiac catheterizations are the most common minimally invasive interventional diagnostic and treatment procedure for heart patients. Until recently, catheterizations were most commonly performed through the large femoral artery, located in the groin area. Today, interventional cardiologists can often perform catheterizations through the much smaller radial artery located on the underside of the wrist.

Since the radial artery is a smaller blood vessel located close to the skin’s surface, radial catheterization offers patients a significantly reduced risk for external and internal bleeding, less pain and a much faster recovery time. Not only is the procedure more comfortable for most patients but any internal or external bleeding can be quickly noticed and easily treated, reducing the risk of painful bruising. Patients can also greatly benefit from a significantly reduced recovery time and shorter hospital stay. Many patients return home immediately following their procedure, recover in just a few days and are back to their daily life in less than a week.

Ask Your Cardiologist If You Are a Candidate for Radial Catheterization

Each patient is evaluated by their heart specialist to ensure that the radial catheterization approach meets their individual needs. However, there are groups of individuals who have been found to benefit from the radial approach, such as those with existing vascular conditions, kidney or bleeding disorders and obese, elderly and female patients.

To find a heart or vascular specialist or to learn more about specialized cardiac services offered at Piedmont Medical Center, call 803-329-1234.