Intracardiac electrophysiology study (EPS)

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X

(Page 2)

Conduction system of the heart

Heart, front view

Your health care provider will give you instructions regarding any changes to your normal medications. Do not stop taking or change any medications without consulting your health care provider.

A mild sedative is usually given 30 minutes before the procedure. You may not be able to drive home yourself if you are discharged the same day.

During the test, you will beawake and able to follow instructions.

A simple EPS generally lasts from 20 minutes to 1 hour. It may take longer if other procedures are involved.

Before performing EPS, your cardiologist will try to identify a suspected arrhythmia using other, less invasive tests such as ambulatory cardiac monitoring. If the abnormal rhythm is not detected by these other methods, and your symptoms suggest you have an arrhythmia, EPS may be recommended. Additional reasons for EPS may include the need:

• To find the location of a known arrhythmia and determine the best therapy
• To assess the severity of the arrhythmia and determine if you are at risk for future cardiac events, especially sudden cardiac death
• To evaluate the effectiveness of medication in controlling an arrhythmia
• To determine if the focus (the place from where the arrhythmia is coming) should be ablated. If ablation is appropriate, it will be formed immediately.
• To evaluate the need for a permanent pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)

Review Date: 11/06/2006
Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.