Cardiac electrophysiology

[1][2] The cardiac electrophysiology (EP) study typically measures the response of myocardium to programmed electrical stimulation (PES) on specific pharmacological regimens in order to assess the likelihood that the regimen will successfully prevent potentially fatal sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation VF (VF) in the future.

Sometimes a series of EP study drug trials must be conducted to enable the cardiologist to select the one regimen for long-term treatment that best prevents or slows the development of VT or VF following PES.

In early 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services promoted cardiac electrophysiology to its own specialty category in the United States.

The flagship tools used by cardiac electrophysiologists overlap with the toolbox of the neuroscientist including patch clamp and optical mapping.

[7] European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) provides knowledge and practical competency based certification to physicians and allied health professionals[8] as well as accreditation of cardiac electrophysiology training centres[9] in Europe and neighbouring countries.

Electroanatomic mapping uses electric and magnetic fields to create three dimensional models of heart structures using specialized catheters.