Electrophysiology study
If you have a heart arrhythmia, our team is here to help get your heart back on a steady beat. Your doctor may recommend an electrophysiology study to determine the cause.
Our dedicated team is here to help explain every step of the study so you’ll know what to expect.
What is electrophysiology study?
An electrophysiology study is a test that helps your doctor better understand what’s happening with your heart’s electrical system. If an electrical problem is causing your symptoms, your doctor also may do a catheter ablation during the electrophysiology study.
Once the results come in, your doctor will determine if a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator would help treat your heart rhythm problems.
You'll see your primary care doctor or cardiologist for personalized guidelines to prepare for an electrophysiology study, 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 electrophysiology study will take place in a cardiac electrophysiology lab. The procedure usually takes two to five hours.
During the test you’ll receive a local anesthetic, so you’ll be awake but won’t feel any pain.
We’ll disinfect and may shave the spots where we’ll insert the catheter – usually in the groin area or neck. Your doctor will thread several catheters through the incision site into a blood vessel, then guide them into your heart with the help of a tiny camera and video screen. You may feel pressure as your doctor inserts the catheters, but they shouldn’t hurt.
Part of the test involves your doctor sending different types of electrical signals through the catheters to see how they affect your heart rhythm. At times, it may feel like your heart is racing.
We’ll record your heart rhythms throughout the test to determine exactly what’s causing your arrhythmia. We may also do a catheter ablation to gently remove small portions of heart tissue that’s causing the arrhythmia.
Depending on what we do during the test and how long we keep you in recovery, you can expect to be at the hospital for one to four hours. Be sure to arrange for someone to give you a ride home once you’re discharged.
Before you go home, we’ll give you detailed instructions on how to care for your incision sites, how active you can be for the next several days, and how to watch for possible complications. Complications after a study are rare but could include:
- Pain, swelling, bleeding, or redness at the catheter insertion sites
- Feelings of coolness, numbness, or tingling in your leg if your catheter went through your groin
- Fever or chills
- Chest pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, and excessive sweating
Be sure to contact your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.
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 electrophysiology department – the team that implants pacemakers – is one of the most active programs in the country. All our doctors are board certified, passing rigorous, voluntary tests of skills and knowledge.
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