The average human heart beats about 100,000 times a day, pumping almost 2,000 gallons of blood through the body. What makes it tick so precisely? An electrical system that creates impulses to control the heart rate (beats per minute) and heart rhythm (synchronizing the pumping action).
The cardiac electrophysiologists at the Heart & Vascular Institute are specialists who test your heart’s timing system with an electrophysiology study or, when needed, implant a pacemaker or defibrillator to maintain a natural heart rhythm.
Some patients need a catheter ablation, a nonsurgical procedure that destroys, or ablates, tiny areas of the heart causing heart rhythm irregularities. An electrophysiologist inserts catheters – thin, flexible wires – into a vein, typically in the groin or neck, and guides them up to the heart.
We perform traditional radiofrequency (heat) ablations and newer cryoablation (extreme cold) procedures to eliminate abnormal electrical pathways in the heart. Complex ablation or robotics-assisted procedures requiring a tertiary care center are performed at Hartford Hospital’s Atrial Fibrillation Center.
Our expertise covers the implantation, programming and follow-up of all devices, including loop recorders, pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization devices for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Our device clinics follow more than 1,400 patients with defibrillators using the latest in home remote monitoring.
When an ablation procedure is inappropriate, we will determine the most effective antiarrhythmic drug to control your heart-rhythm disorder.
Meet Dr. Steven Zweibel, director of electrophysiology at Hartford Hospital:
Electrophysiology at The Heart & Vascular Institute