STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Electrophysiology Studies (EPS) are tests that help us to understand the nature of abnormal heart rhythms.
Electrophysiologic testing uses catheters inserted into the heart to find out where abnormal heartbeats are coming from. Electrophysiology studies test the electrical activity of heart to find where an arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat) is coming from.
These results can help us to decide whether you need medicine, a pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), cardiac ablation or surgery. These studies take place in catheterization (cath) lab while patient is mildly sedated.
When someone’s heart doesn’t beat normally, EPS helps us to find out the reason of abnormal beat. Electrical signals usually travel through the heart in a regular pattern. Heart attacks, aging and high blood pressure may cause scarring of the heart. This may cause the heart to beat in an irregular (uneven) pattern. Extra abnormal electrical pathways found in certain congenital heart defects can also cause arrhythmias.
During EPS, we insert a thin tube called a catheter into a blood vessel that leads to heart. A specialized electrode catheter designed for EP studies sends electric signals and record its electrical activity.
Keeping all these factors into consideration state of art workshop was organised in Department of Cardiology SSH Jammu under the supervision of Dr Sushil Sharma HOD deptt. of Cardiology and Dr. Devinder Bisht one of the foremost and leading interventional cardiologist.
During this workshop besides imparting knowledge to medical and paramedical staff, nine cases were undertaken for EPS in cath lab including one ICD and one pacemaker and these patients underwent radiofrequency ablation for cardiac arrythmias.
Out of these four patients required atrial septal puncture for left sided pathway ablations. This is for the first time that such highly intricate cardiac procedures have been done in SSH Jammu under PMJAY scheme , free of cost to patient. All these procedures had no complications and all patients are doing well.
The main purpose of this workshop was to provide world of art cardiac intervention facilities such as electrophysiology so that people with rhythm disorder are benefitted and this time this was made possible with joint efforts of Dr Devinder Bisht and department of Cardiology SSH Jammu headed by Dr Sushil Sharma alongwith Dr Nasir Choudhary and other paramedical staff, cath lab technicians.
With success of this workshop department plans to expand patients workload in the field of electrophysiology and arrhythmia and shall be asking for procuring Modern gadgets and infrastructure required for electrophysiology studies from the concerned authorities for elevating the patient care in the department.
