Arrhythmia Treatment at Mary Washington & Stafford Hospitals
Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical activity and pathways
of the heart. You can think of electrophysiologists as the electricians
of the heart. Their patients are suspected of having or have been diagnosed
with an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Treatment plans for arrhythmias
are very patient specific. Learn more about our treatments below.
Catheter Ablation
Catheter ablation uses radio waves or freezing to silence an abnormal area
in the heart’s electrical system, which is usually found during
an electrophysiology study. Ablation is one option for treating abnormal
heart rhythms.
Three types of ablation:
Electrical or radiofrequency catheter ablation
AV node ablation
Cryoablation
Defibrillator Implant
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that’s
placed in your chest or abdomen. This device uses electrical pulses or
shocks to help control life-threatening, irregular heartbeats, especially
those that could lead the heart to suddenly stop beating. If the heart
stops beating, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
This usually causes death if it’s not treated in minutes.
Placing an ICD requires minor surgery. You will be given medicine right
before the surgery that will help you relax and may make you fall asleep.
Your doctor will give you a local anesthetic so you won’t feel anything
in the area where the doctor puts the ICD.
Once you have an ICD, you have to avoid close or prolonged contact with
electrical devices or devices that have strong magnetic fields.
Devices that can interfere with an ICD include:
Cell phones
Appliances such as microwave ovens
High-tension wires
Metal detectors
Industrial welders
Electrical generators
These devices disrupt the electrical signaling of your ICD and stop it
from working properly. You can still use household appliances and cell
phones, but avoid close and prolonged exposure. You can walk through security
system metal detectors. Someone can check you with a metal detector wand
as long as it isn’t held for too long over your ICD site.
Micra® Wireless Pacemaker
The Medtronic Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) is a heart device,
approved for Medicare reimbursement, that provides patients with the most
advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker.
Bradycardia is a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm,
usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. At this rate, the heart is unable
to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body during normal activity or
exercise, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting
spells. Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia to help
restore the heart's normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical
impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate.
What is the Micra® Pacemaker?
Comparable in size to a large vitamin, the Micra TPS is a miniaturized
heart device designed to provide the most advanced pacing technology –
all while being cosmetically invisible.
Made by Medtronic, the Micra TPS is unlike traditional pacemakers because
the device does not require cardiac wires (leads) or a surgical “pocket”
under the skin to deliver a pacing therapy.
Designed to provide a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers –
without the complications associated with leads – the Micra TPS
is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly
into the heart with small tines and delivers electrical impulses that
pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device.
Customized to each patient’s needs, the Micra TPS automatically adjusts
pacing therapy based on a person’s activity levels.
Traditional Pacemaker
Doctors often treat irregular heartbeats with a device called a pacemaker.
A permanent pacemaker is a small device that is implanted under the skin
(most often in the shoulder area just under the collarbone), and sends
electrical signals to start or regulate a slow heartbeat. A permanent
pacemaker may be used to make the heart beat if the heart is not functioning
properly and has developed an abnormal heart rate or if the electrical
pathways are blocked. Pacemakers are typically used for slow arrhythmias
such as sinus bradycardia, sick sinus syndrome, or heart block.
