Cardiac electrophysiology

Image:EKG complex.png

Cardiac electrophysiology is the scienceof the electrical conduction system of the heart. It is concerned with the normal and abnormal transmission of impulses from the cardiac pacemakerand its influence on contractionof the myocardium(the muscle of the heart). A specialist in cardiac electrophysiology is known as a cardiac electrophysiologist, or (more commonly) simply an electrophysiologist. Cardiac electrophysiology is considered a subspecialty of cardiology, and requires one or more years of fellowshiptraining beyond a general cardiology fellowship.

The primary tools used by the cardiac electrophysiologist are the electrocardiogram(EKG) (either measured on the body surface or via catheterswithin the heart), which is a representation of the electrical forces within the heart, and programmed electrical stimulation, which measures the heart's reaction to electrical impulses that are delivered via catheters placed inside the heart.

See also

• Electrical conduction system of the heart
• Electrocardiogram(EKG)
• Electrophysiologic study

External links

• Cardiac Electrophysiology Society
• Heart Rhythm Society

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiac+electrophysiology Wikipedia article Cardiac electrophysiology.