Arrhythmia and Heart Failure

On staff at Baptist Cardiovascular Services are cardiologists who are board certified in electrophysiology, a subsection of cardiology focusing on treating heart arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death. For the care of patients diagnosed with arrhythmias (irregular heart beats) or congestive heart failure, Baptist provides a variety of treatment options. These range from advanced electrophysiology for the placement of pacemakers and defibrillators to highly specialized intracardiac (within the heart) procedures.

Some of the pacing technology offered at Baptist includes:

• Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrilator (AICD)
  AICDs are pager-sized devices implanted under the skin near the collarbone and connected to the heart with insulated leads. An AICD is used to treat abnormally fast and life-threatening arrythmias, or irregular heart beats. It defibrillates—stuns—the heart, breaking the fast cycle of beats and allowing the heart to "reset." This returns the heart to a normal rhythm. Used preventively in people with heart failure and poor heart pumping function, these devices have been clinically proven to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death. :: Click here to watch a video about the use of pacemakers in heart failure patients.
• Bi-ventricular pacing
  These pacemakers, designed to treat heart failure, pace both left and right sides of the heart, as opposed to standard pacemakers that pace only one side of the heart. Bi-ventricular pacing, also called ventricular resynchronization, allows the left ventricle to pump blood more efficiently. Certain types of these pacemakers may also monitor fluid accumulation in the thoracic cavity. Fluid accumulation of this type may signal worsening symptoms in heart failure patients. Early detection of fluid accumumlation can assist in management of heart failure.
• Bi-V/AICD or combination devices
  These devices have capabilities of both the bi-ventricular pacemakers and AICDs

Ablation
Ablation is a technique used to treat certain arrhythmias (irregular heart beats). During the procedure, physicians cauterize specific areas within the heart from which the irregular beating pattern originate. Ablation has proven to provide long-term relief to patients with many types of arrhythmias. Ablation within the heart can be approached either by surgical incision or through catheter-based systems.

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:: Baptist Medical Center is Recipient of the HealthGrades Vascular Surgery Excellence Award™, Six Years in a Row (2005 to 2010). Learn more.