An electrophysiology (EP) study is a diagnostic tool used to look at the electrical activity in your heart and determine the cause of an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Once the location of any electrical disturbance has been found, the Cardiac Electrophysiologist will decide whether you need additional treatment with a catheter ablation.
A catheter ablation involves applying radiofrequency energy to burn, or cryotherapy to freeze the small part of heart tissue that is known to cause the arrhythmia.
A Cryotherapy PVI is used to treat an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (AF). Atrial fibrillation occurs when there is chaotic electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart (atria). The resulting fibrillation means that the atria do not contract effectively. This can lead to symptoms and a risk of blood clots forming.
In most people with AF, the extra electrical activity causing their arrhythmia originate in the pulmonary veins which connect to the left atrium. Cryotherapy is used to freeze a ring of tissue around the origins of the pulmonary veins, isolating them electrically from the atria.
A CTI ablation is used to treat atrial flutter, an arrhythmia which causes the upper chambers of the heart (atria) to beat faster than the lower chambers (ventricles) in an organised and predictable way. Atrial flutter can be treated using radiofrequency ablation (burning) of a targeted area of tissue in the right atrium called the cavo-tricuspid isthmus.
SVT occurs when there is an extra electrical pathway between the upper chambers (atria) and the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart, causing palpitations and other symptoms. During an EP study, attempts are made to recreate the arrhythmia you have been experiencing to determine exactly where this pathway is. Once located, this pathway can then be ablated using cryotherapy (freezing) or radiofrequency energy (burning) to block unwanted electrical signals between the atria and ventricles.
