Heart rhythm and AFib care in Waco

Your electrophysiologist may order blood work to diagnose and manage a heart condition. Your doctor may also recommend heart blood work if you're at risk for heart disease, have a family history or are managing a condition like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

A chest X-ray is a quick, noninvasive imaging test that provides a detailed picture of the inside of your chest, helping your care team detect signs of a heart condition.

Your heart specialist uses echocardiograms, also known as heart ultrasounds, to create detailed images of your heart. This noninvasive test uses sound waves to show how your heart is beating and how well it's pumping blood. During the test, a transducer is placed on your chest. It sends out sound waves that bounce off your heart and create real-time images on a screen.

We offer electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs) to help quickly evaluate how your heart is working. This simple test records the electrical activity of your heart. It can help detect a variety of heart conditions, such as arrhythmias.

The test uses small patches called electrodes that are placed on your chest, arms and legs to record your heart's electrical activity. You'll lie still while the machine creates a tracing of your heartbeat for your doctor to review.

Our electrophysiology (EP) team performs advanced EP studies to diagnose the source and type of arrhythmias accurately. Using specialized catheters and real-time mapping, we evaluate your heart's electrical activity to guide the best treatment plan for your heart condition.

Your electrophysiologists may recommend a loop recorder implantation to help diagnose irregular heart rhythms that may be difficult to detect with standard monitoring. This small device is placed just under the skin to record your heart's activity over time continuously. If the monitoring shows that you have a heart condition, your doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan that is right for you.

Your electrophysiologists may use cardioversion, also known as defibrillation, when your heartbeat needs to be restored to a normal rhythm. The procedure uses electric shocks to stop irregular heartbeats. Cardioversion can be used as a treatment for AFib or in emergency cases when you or your loved one is experiencing cardiac arrest.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure procedures help reduce stroke risk in patients with non-valvular AFib who are unable to take long-term blood thinners. Using minimally invasive procedures such as the WATCHMAN™ device, heart specialists close off the LAA to prevent blood clots from entering the bloodstream and causing a stroke.

Your electrophysiologists might recommend a pacemaker if you have irregular heartbeats, a slow heart rate or are experiencing heart block. A pacemaker helps keep your heart regulated by sending electric signals to your heart if it senses trouble. The device is implanted under the skin and helps improve symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness and fainting.

We offer radiofrequency or catheter ablation to treat certain types of arrhythmias, including AFib and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). During this minimally invasive procedure, a catheter is guided through a blood vessel to the heart, where targeted heat energy is used to interrupt abnormal electrical signals and restore a normal heart rhythm.

There are four types of catheter ablation:

• Radiofrequency ablation: Uses heat to destroy abnormal cells.
• Cryoablation: Uses cold to destroy abnormal cells affecting the heartbeat.
• Pulsed field ablation: Uses electricity to create small holes in heart cells that destroy abnormal cells while preserving surrounding tissues and minimizing the impact on areas outside the heart, such as the esophagus and lungs.
• Robotic hybrid convergent ablation: Performed in more advanced stages through a combined approach by a cardiac surgeon and an electrophysiologist.