The RUSH Approach to Electrophysiology Studies and Services

Your heart is a complex organ that is regulated by slight electrical impulses generated by the body. If you have an arrhythmia and your heart beats irregularly, too rapidly, or even too slowly, it can cause significant problems. One of the most common types of arrhythmias we treat is atrial fibrillation, a fast and irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, stroke and heart failure.

Our electrophysiology (EP) team provides you with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options for arrhythmias or congestive heart failure, including ablation, pacemakers or His bundle procedures.

While some arrhythmias are treated with life-long medication, cardiac ablation can actually cure certain arrhythmias for good. Through thorough evaluation and testing, our EP specialists determine the best treatment for your specific health needs.

RUSH Excellence in Electrophysiology Studies and Services

• Care that doesn’t fall through the cracks: At RUSH, we are committed to ensuring that every patient is given the attention and resources they deserve. We have a care team and a coordinator that follow your care from your first day with us. The coordinator ensures your case is referred to the right specialists, that your entire care team is fully briefed on your case, that you are educated about your electrophysiology procedure and after-care and your treatment and follow-up appointments are handled correctly.
• Pinpointing the problem: Electrophysiologists at RUSH were among the first in Illinois to perform ablation using the HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System, which allows them to see inside your beating heart while delivering laser energy during ablation. This enhanced visualization means surgeons can more accurately pinpoint and apply laser heat to the abnormal circuits causing the arrhythmia. Ultimately, this advantage may reduce the likelihood that you will need a repeat ablation procedure.
• Best of both worlds: You can often receive hybrid procedures that involve electrophysiologists and cardiac surgeons performing procedures together, in one setting. This allows your care team to work together to access even the traditionally hardest to reach areas of your heart — which was a challenge for treating these conditions in the past. However, cardiac surgeons can easily reach these areas because they can access crucial space behind the heart. These procedures are especially beneficial if you are older, with more advanced heart disease, as they allow surgeons to repair serious issues with less invasive techniques.
• Other groundbreaking treatments include:
  • Leadless pacemakers (e.g., Micra): These are wireless and significantly smaller than standard pacemakers. This innovative technology has been associated with fewer complications than traditional pacemakers.
  • His bundle pacing: This innovative approach involves stimulating the Bundle of His (or His bundle) instead of the right ventricle. EP specialists at RUSH are among the most experienced in the nation in the use of His bundle pacing and have a 95% success rate, which is higher than the success rate nationally.
• RUSH Arrhythmia Center: The expert team at the RUSH Arrhythmia Center at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago specializes in caring for irregular heart rhythms. We offer a full spectrum of options for treating arrhythmias and access to the latest clinical trials and innovative technology that helps our patients and us better understand and reduces the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and its related symptoms.
• Atrial fibrillation clinic: RUSH offers an atrial fibrillation clinic where our team focuses exclusively on managing and treating patients to help modify risk factors and slow down progression of this chronic disease. Our dedicated team of experts will help to coordinate your care, tailoring a multidisciplinary treatment plan that specifically meets your needs.
• Support groups: Living with an arrhythmia may mean you have to make some changes in your lifestyle. To smooth your adjustment to life with an arrhythmia, RUSH Copley holds periodic support groups for patients and their families. These gatherings feature educational presentations and also provide an opportunity to share experiences with other people living with arrhythmias.