Heart rhythm and AFib care in Oklahoma

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.

For this test, you wear a small, portable, battery-powered machine used to record ECG over several weeks. Each time you have symptoms, you press a button on the recorder to record the ECG sample. As soon as possible, you will transmit this sample to your doctor for evaluation.

For this test, you wear a small, portable, battery-powered ECG machine. Small patches (wired electrodes) are attached to the skin over your heart. The monitor records heartbeats over a period of 24 to 48 hours during normal activities. At the end of the time period, you will return the monitor to your doctor so it can be read and evaluated. Some Holter monitors can be worn for up to 2 weeks. These monitors are patches and don't require wires.

Your cardiologist 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.

A cardiac stress test measures how your heart responds to exercise or medication that mimics exercise. As your heart works harder, we monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and electrical activity to look for signs of reduced blood flow or other abnormalities. This test helps detect signs of heart disease and determine the cause of arrhythmia to help your heart team create a personalized treatment plan.

Your electrophysiologist 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.

This procedure uses radio frequency energy or freezing to get rid of problem areas in the heart that cause abnormal heart rhythm. The abnormal area is found during an electrophysiology study. This study maps the electrical activity that controls the heart rhythm. This procedure can diagnose and potentially cure abnormal heart rhythms.

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.

This surgical procedure is used to treat AFib, helping to restore your heart rhythm. Heart surgeons use a maze pattern technique to create incisions in the heart's upper chambers to block abnormal electrical signals. The maze procedure, also known as the Cox-Maze procedure, uses cold and hot energy to create a scarring effect that corrects the heart signals that cause arrhythmia.

Your electrophysiologist 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.