Arrhythmia is a heart rhythm problem caused by a glitch in the electrical impulses to the heart. It can cause symptoms such as heart palpitations, a fast or slow heartbeat, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
Heart arrhythmia treatments at UPMC’s Cardiac Electrophysiology Program include drugs, cardioversion, and minimally invasive ablation therapy.
Request an appointment online, call 1-855-876-2484 (UPMC-HVI), or email us.
During arrhythmia, the heart either beats:
Almost everyone experiences an occasional skipped heart beat, fluttering, or racing heart beat. While most events are harmless, some people have arrhythmias that are bothersome and sometimes dangerous.
The UPMC Cardiac Electrophysiology Program is the largest in western Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the United States.
We offer a full range of treatments for the most therapy-resistant cases of cardiac arrhythmias, including:
To make an appointment at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute's Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, complete an appointment request form or call 1-855-876-2484 (UPMC-HVI).
Some cardiac arrhythmias occur without symptoms.
Others may cause noticeable symptoms, such as:
At the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, your initial evaluation for arrhythmia includes:
In particular, the doctor will listen to your heart with a stethoscope.
Following your exam, your doctor may order additional tests to help confirm an arrhythmia diagnosis.
These tests may include:
If your doctor detects an arrhythmia, he or she will work with you to determine the best cardiac arrhythmia treatment.
Testing results
Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your test results and will call you when they're available.
To make an appointment at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute's Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, complete an appointment request form or call 1-855-876-2484 (UPMC-HVI).
SBRT is an experimental treatment for refractory ventricular tachycardia (V-tach), an abnormally rapid heart rate in the heart's lower chambers.
Doctors use SBRT if standard treatments -- like medicine and catheter ablation — fail to control your V-tach.
SBRT involves the delivery of focused, intense doses of radiation to a small area of the heart. Doctors use scans to find the area of the heart causing the arrhythmia and where to target treatment.
SBRT can treat a larger area of the heart than catheter ablation.
Potential risks from SBRT include damage or scarring to tissue around the heart. Doctors will use imaging scans to reduce the risk as much as possible.
In most cases, this noninvasive technique lasts under an hour, and you can go home the same day. You will have frequent, extensive follow-up visits to check on long-term effects.
Currently, SBRT is only an option for people with refractory V-tach who have tried other treatments without success.
Early data suggest SBRT can be more successful than other treatments in reducing the amount of arrhythmia in people with V-tach. But since we're still studying SBRT, we'll need to look at future data to confirm its success.
The UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute offers educational information and videos about arrhythmias and other heart and vascular diseases and treatments.
Many people find these resources helpful in answering their questions about their condition and preparing them for their procedure or diagnostic test.
The links below will open a new browser window.
To make an appointment at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute's Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, complete an appointment request form or call 1-855-876-2484 (UPMC-HVI).