Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias

Overview

Physicians within the Telemachus & Irene Demoulas Family Foundation Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias at the Massachusetts General Hospital Corrigan Minehan Heart Center are internationally recognized for their work in the field of clinical electrophysiology, the medical discipline concerned with the heart's electrical system.

For nearly 30 years, the Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias has provided state-of-the-art care for patients with all types of cardiac arrhythmias. Our experienced specialists work with all types of patients to determine the cause of their heart rhythm disturbances, develop a plan of care, and monitor progress and response to treatment. Though in many cases, we can cure cardiac arrhythmias; in other cases, treatment is focused on reducing or eliminating symptoms.

Our specialists treat a variety of patients, including younger and older patients, pregnant women with arrhythmias, patients with atypical symptoms or unique conditions, patients with familial conditions, and patients who require pacemakers, ICDs or biventricular devices. We also treat patients with atrial fibrillation and have revolutionized medical care for this condition.

Conditions We Treat

Our specialists are experienced in treating a range of heart rhythm conditions, including:

• Arrhythmias (abnormal heart beat)
• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial flutter
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Ventricular fibrillation
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Brugada Syndrome (genetic condition)
• Long QT Syndrome (genetic condition)
• Bradycardia (slow heart rate)
• Sick sinus syndrome (heart rate too fast and too slow)

A Commitment to Research and Education

Physicians at the Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias have revolutionized medical care for cardiac arrhythmias. All over the world, other clinicians are able to better treat atrial fibrillation through image integration, a technology we helped develop that blends high-quality images of a patient’s anatomy into the actual procedure.

Many of our physicians are on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, which means they not only have a mission to provide the best possible patient care, but also a commitment to educate the next generation of medical professionals.

Diagnosing Cardiac Arrhythmias

Cardiac arrhythmias can be diagnosed using non-invasive procedures or invasive procedures such as electrophysiology (EP) studies. Our specialists offer the latest diagnostic procedures for all cardiac arrhythmias. Your doctor may order one or more of these tests for you.

• Electrocardiograms, including signal-averaged electrocardiography
• Holter monitoring
• Event recorder
• Implantable cardiac event monitor
• Echocardiogram
• Exercise test (stress test or treadmill test)
• Tilt table evaluation
• Invasive electrophysiology studies

Treatments and Procedures

Specialists at the Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias were among the first physicians in the world to use a computer-based robotic system that helps specialists ablate (destroy) small areas of heart muscle tissue that are responsible for common cardiac arrhythmias. This revolutionary technology enables our specialists to treat patients with greater precision, safety and effectiveness than was previously possible.

Our physicians also helped establish a new catheter ablation procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, the most common kind of cardiac arrhythmia. Catheter ablation delivers a radio frequency current through a catheter tip to prevent electrical impulses from traveling through the heart’s tissue at the site of the arrhythmia. This new therapy has helped eliminate disabling symptoms and restore quality of life for many patients with atrial fibrillation.

With advanced resources, including leading-edge technology in the hands of experienced clinicians, the Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias offers several options to help manage arrhythmias.

Available treatments include:

• Genetic screening for cardiac arrhythmias
• Catheter ablation
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy
• Cardioversion
• Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implantation
• Pacemaker implantation
• ICD and pacemaker lead removal (also known as lead extraction)