Cardiac Electrophysiology Program
The Cardiac Electrophysiology Program at UPMC — the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind in western Pennsylvania — performs cutting-edge techniques for treating arrhythmias and other potentially serious disorders affecting the heart’s rhythm.
Conditions and treatments
Our heart patients benefit from the depth and breadth of our experience in treating:
- irregular heart rates
- cardiac syncope (fainting)
- cardiac arrest
- other heart disorders
Our highly skilled team of cardiac specialists provide a full range of treatments, including:
- medications
- pacemakers and defibrillators
- radiofrequency ablation
Atrial Arrhythmia Center
UPMC’s Atrial Arrhythmia Center is a first-of-its-kind unit dedicated to the management and education of people with atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart).
Recognizing that most atrial arrhythmias are associated with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and other causes of hypertension, our specialists are dedicated to managing your whole condition, while paving the way with new treatments.
This center of excellence:
- Is the only center in western Pennsylvania offering minimally invasive atrial surgery.
- Maintains a basic research unit dedicated to the development and refinement of nondrug treatments for atrial arrhythmia.
- Offers investigative approaches that have made UPMC’s Cardiac Electrophysiology Program a leading national site for several studies, including:
- biventricular pacing therapies for expanding populations of patients suffering from congestive heart failure
- protocols utilizing the newest pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and equipment for catheter ablation
- research on predicting arrhythmia onset and new ways of differentiating life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias from benign supraventricular arrhythmias
- programs, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, for investigating genetic and clinical risk factors for sudden death
Risk Identification
The Cardiac EP Program provides expert risk identification and a variety of therapies to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias. Noninvasive techniques employed to detect and monitor arrhythmias include:
- endless loop EKG-event monitoring
- 24-hour Holter monitoring
- signal-averaged EKG testing
- novel technologies for analyzing heartbeat irregularities
The Cardiac EP Program at UPMC also offers the full range of clinical electrophysiologic procedures, including:
- comprehensive evaluation for patients with syncope and palpitations, including ambulatory and implantable cardiac monitoring, head-up tilt-table testing, and invasive electrophysiologic testing
- implantation of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), including biventricular pacing devices for the treatment of advanced heart failure, as well as transtelephonic monitoring for outpatient follow up
- laser-assisted lead extraction of chronic infected or non-functional device leads – the only center in western Pennsylvania that performs this demanding procedure
- catheter-based ablation for complex supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, using state-of-the-art mapping systems, intracardiac echocardiography, and pulsed fluoroscopy, all of which limit patient radiation exposure
Electrophysiology labs
UPMC’s electrophysiology laboratories provide the latest equipment for diagnosing and treating abnormal heart rhythms.
The invasive cardiac electrophysiology laboratories:
- are specially equipped for enhanced sterility
- provide advanced imaging capabilities for complex catheter ablations and
- offer state-of-the-art intracardiac monitoring and recording
The noninvasive electrophysiology laboratory boasts advanced technology, including:
- 32- and 192-lead body surface mapping equipment to precisely identify and map the areas responsible for the arrhythmia
- a pacemaker analyzing system to efficiently conduct pacemaker tests and follow-up care
What distinguishes our program?
- Our specialty centers — the UPMC Cardiac Electrophysiology Program is the only one in the region with subspecialty centers for the evaluation and management of atrial arrhythmias and infected implanted pacemakers and other heart-rhythm devices.
- Our expertise — with renowned faculty members, our program ranks as one of the largest in the United States.
- Our research — the program has become known for leading research into the underlying causes of arrhythmia and developing improved methods for diagnosis and treatment.