Dr. Sanjiv M. Narayan serves as director of the atrial fibrillation and electrophysiology research programs at Stanford University. Dr. Sanjiv Narayan has shared his work through such publications as Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology which from 2002 to 2017 have published his team's findings on the mapping of irregular heart rhythms.
Electrophysiology (EP) is a category of testing that evaluates the electrical activity of the heart and the patterns that it follows. Often used to evaluate the source of an arrhythmia, or regular heartbeat, it can assist in the development of a course of treatment.
The patient visits an EP or catheterization (cath) lab, where he or she receives a sedative and local anesthetic. The doctor will then make a small incision in the groin, arm, or neck, to thread a small tube known as a sheath into a particular vein or artery. This sheath contains a series of specialized catheters, which the physician will guide toward the heart.
Once the catheters are in place, the physician will send electrical signals into the heart to safely reproduce the irregular heartbeat. The catheters will record the heartbeat in a way that maps the arrhythmia. This allows the physician to identify the source of the abnormality.
The process usually takes between one and four hours. When it is finished, the doctor will remove the catheters. Recovery time, which includes pressure and elevation of the surgical site, usually lasts for one to three hours.
