Expert Care for Abnormal Heart Rhythms

If your child has an abnormal heartbeat or heart rhythm (also called arrhythmia), our Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Program is the best place for care. As part of the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s, we lead the way in evaluating and treating complex abnormal heart rhythms.

We offer care for every age, from fetus through young adults, and for adults with congenital heart disease. In cases of sudden cardiac death and patients with suspected inherited heart rhythm abnormalities, we offer genetic counseling and testing services to families.

Our electrophysiology services include diagnosing and treating heart rhythm abnormalities and related diseases such as syncope and sudden cardiac arrest.

What Is Electrophysiology?

Electrophysiology (EP) is the branch of medicine that deals with electrical activity. Our program specifically deals with the heart’s electrical system. Doctors who work in this field are called electrophysiologists. We assess the electrical activity in the heart to evaluate its electrical function.

While in our care, you or your child may have an electrophysiology study, or EP study. This involves placing electrodes in the heart using catheters, which are small tubes the size of a piece of spaghetti. Results from this study help us find out what’s going on in the heart so we know how best to treat it.

What Sets Us Apart

• We have experience working with very complex heart rhythm disorders and use cutting-edge therapies in our treatments. We provide interventions that have a high level of safety and low level of complications.
• Our staff has championed initiatives to reduce radiation exposure to patients. Our fluoroscopy dose is consistently more than 90% lower than the national average.*
• Our team is highly skilled in complex interventions like catheter ablation with both radiofrequency and cryoablation, a procedure used to restore normal heart rhythm by disabling the heart cells that create an irregular heartbeat.
• We offer ongoing, follow-up care every day of the week in multiple locations, including our Burnet Campus and Liberty Campus, our outpatient centers in Anderson and Northern Kentucky, and all of our locations in Greater Louisville and Western Kentucky.
• We support our Joint Pediatric and Congenital Heart Program with Kentucky Children’s Hospital, both with remote support for their EP lab, as well as with in-person support in Lexington.
• For adults, care by our team can be coordinated through our nationally accredited Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, which specializes in the unique aspects of adults who were born with heart disease.

When you come to Cincinnati Children’s, you’ll receive treatment from a team that’s dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care. We have the experience to diagnose and treat problems, from the routine to the very complex, and we do so with a high level of safety and success.

*American College of Cardiology IMPACT Registry data, published Oct. 3, 2022