The Steps and the Tools for treating your cardiac arrythmia

Through basic but invaluable tools, as in the data recorded in an ECG, many suspected arrythmia problems are first spotted.  Your primary care physician or diagnostic cardiologist may have ordered an  ECG test as part of your routine examination or because you specifically indicated to your physician in their office your heart has been racing lately or you have been experiencing dizzy spells. Perhaps your physician sent you home with an event monitoring device which can automatically record your heart's activity (ECG) which then can be sent directly to your physician's office or an authorized ECG technician over the phone or via the Internet.  In some situations you felt something was just not right and went to an an emergency room and an ECG was taken there. If your primary physician makes a definite diagnosis that you have cardiac arrythmia or suspects a high probablity you might, he or she would seek the expertise of a  cardiac electrophysiologist (EP) physician. The EP cardiologists has specific training in the specific diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrythmia. Following, is a description of the usual first steps your EP physician would take, the specific technology "tools" used in this first step and the goal of the step.
Goal: To determine the type of arrythmia you might have, the exact location of the arrythmia source within your heart's chambers and to determine the best therapy for you moving forward.
Essential Tools:  diagnostic EP catheter, X-ray and PC based technology to display the catheter data

Step Two will be discussed in detail in the next few days.  I welcome any and all comments and additions from professionals or patient consumers.

Regards,
Jim

James Accord
Atlanta, GA