DeKalb Medical’s Heart and Vascular Institute is continuing to add to its services by growing its Cardiac Electrophysiology program.  Cardiac electrophysiology (EP) involves detecting and diagnosing and treating electrical activities of the heart such as arrhythmias more widely known as irregular heartbeats.

“Arrhythmia management is an important part of comprehensive cardiac care,” DeKalb Medical’s Cardiac Electro physiologist Zoubin Alikhani, M.D. said. “Cardiac rhythm problems can be life-threatening and any delay in their diagnosis and management may increase morbidity and mortality. Having the EP services available shortens the time to proper care and decrease complication rates.”

 Some arrhythmia’s are emergent and can result in cardiac arrest. Other forms of arrhythmia can simply be an uncomfortable awareness of an abnormal heartbeat. These heart palpitations can sometimes lead to patients receiving artificial pacemakers or defibrillators which produce electrodes back to the heart to revive its natural heartbeat.

DeKalb Medical’s Heart and Vascular Institute will construct an additional catheterization lab to accommodate these specific procedures.

 “Having the availability of a dedicated EP lab means that patients with cardiac arrhythmias can have their procedures performed at the DeKalb Medical Heart and Vascular Institute without having to be transferred to another facility and without having to wait days or weeks before they are admitted for their procedure.” states  Dr. Alikhani.  “This will ultimately reduce their hospital stay and significantly improve their quality of care and their recovery.”

Patrick Green, Executive Director of the Heart and Vascular Program, agrees. “Currently, all of the cardiac catheterization procedures, other than EP procedures are done in one lab. The new lab, expected to open in spring of 2013, will open up capacity to accommodate the additional patients.”

Electrophysiology services are just one of many growing areas within the cardiac and vascular area at DeKalb Medical. In May 2011, percutaneous coronary interventions, or PCI, were introduced to its patients by offering life-saving angioplasty and stenting procedures at the hospital. Similar to providing EP services, in most cases, patients are now able to receive the treatment they need right away, without any transfers.