What is Electrophysiology?
Electrophysiology (EP) is a branch of cardiology that examines the electrical behavior of the heart by recording electrical activity from within the heart chambers. Specially trained cardiologists use a variety of tests to evaluate certain symptoms a patient may be experiencing, such as palpitations, dizziness and fainting spells.
An EP study enables a specially trained cardiologist to look for explanations for these symptoms or to evaluate certain arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats). Patients may also require an EP study after surviving a cardiac arrest. Another reason patients may undergo an EP study is that their other tests and findings place them in a high-risk category.
Further, certain patients may be candidates to have an ablation, which is an outpatient procedure that can cure certain forms of rapid heartbeating.
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