Electrical cardioversion
Find a heart specialistIf you’ve been diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder, electrical cardioversion could be an option to help get your heart back on a proper beat.
Our heart and vascular specialists are among the most experienced professionals in the region. We work closely together and offer consistent care throughout your treatment. Our coordinated care is particularly important for conditions like atrial fibrillation
(AFib) and other chronic heart conditions that require long-term management.
What is electrical cardioversion?
Electrical cardioversion is a medical procedure that can restore your heart to a normal rhythm if it consistently beats erratically or too fast. Your doctor might recommend this treatment if you have atrial fibrillation or an atrial flutter – an abnormal heart rhythm similar to AFib.
What causes irregular heartbeat
Heart rhythm symptoms often come and go. That can make them challenging to identify and diagnose. Our experienced cardiac electrophysiology team uses sophisticated equipment to pinpoint and treat the precise causes of your conditions.
Heart rhythm treatment
In some cases, electrical cardioversion can permanently restore your regular heart rhythm. However, it’s not a long-term solution for everyone and it’s possible that your AFib could return.
If you continue to experience AFib, your doctor will discuss possible long-term treatment options such as taking anti-arrhythmia medications on a regular basis.
You'll see your primary care doctor or cardiologist for personalized guidelines to prepare for electrical cardioversion treatment, including:
- Refraining from eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before your procedure
- Receiving instructions on how to get ready for your procedure, including any medications you may need to stop taking
- Answering your questions and concerns
Your doctor also may prescribe blood-thinning medication to help prevent blood clots or strokes during the procedure.
Before the procedure, you’ll receive an intravenous line to your arm that will give you medications, including a mild anesthetic, so you don’t feel any pain.
Your doctor may do a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), a special type of heart ultrasound. This test, which takes about 45 minutes, helps ensure that you don’t have any blood clots in your heart.
During an electrical cardioversion procedure, your doctor will place electrodes on your chest that send small electrical pulses to your heart. The electrical cardioversion procedure itself takes only a few seconds, and you shouldn’t feel any pain from the electrical pulses. We’ll continuously monitor you to make sure you’re safe during your procedure.
You’ll stay in the hospital for about an hour to recover from the procedure. Make sure you have someone to drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours as you recover. You should be able to go back to work and your regular activities the next day.
Your doctor will discuss detailed recovery and follow-up instructions.
Placing your trust in our team
People from around eastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois choose our hospitals and clinics for our track record of safety and excellence. You can feel confident with our:
- National ranking: U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks our heart program among the best in the country. We’re dedicated to improving and transforming heart care.
- Top team: Our cardiac specialists work closely together to oversee your treatment. All our doctors are board certified, passing rigorous, voluntary tests of skills and knowledge.
- Sophisticated tools: We have access to the latest tools and techniques, including 4-D ultrasound and 3-D imaging to visualize the heart in incredible detail before surgery, precise surface contour voltage mapping of the inside and outside of the heart, and advanced catheter tools to assist in surgery.
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