The Heart and Vascular Center uses advanced technologies and a coordinated model of care to help people with an irregular heartbeat reduce their risk of serious complications, including stroke. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders. Treating the condition is critical because people with an irregular heartbeat are up to five times more likely to have a stroke than those with normal heart function. The Heart and Vascular Center’s multidisciplinary AFib clinic – one of few in the country – includes experts in arrhythmia who work with a patient’s entire medical team to achieve the best possible outcome. In addition to outpatient care, the clinic provides specialized emergency services as well as post-intervention education for patients and their family members to help prevent hospital readmissions. Along with lifestyle modifications, treatment for AFib includes: • Electrical cardioversion to reset heart rhythm • Catheter ablation, which alters tiny areas of heart tissue to block or destroy the source of the arrhythmia • Maze procedure that creates scar tissue to block abnormal electrical signals • Device therapy, including pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, to monitor and correct heartbeat Arrhythmia Testing and Monitoring: We monitor for heart rhythm abnormalities using Holter monitors, event monitors and implantable loop recorders, identifying the cause, location and best treatment of abnormal heart rhythms. Electrophysiology (EP) Testing is a procedure done in the hospital where the electrical system of the heart is evaluated using catheters placed inside the heart. EP testing is used to determine which type of abnormal heart rhythm is present and to help determine the best treatment option. Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation (Ablation): Ablation is a procedure that uses electrical energy to treat tissues in the heart that are causing abnormal heart rhythms. Performed in the hospital, ablation is done through catheters placed inside of the heart. These areas can then be treated to prevent the abnormal heart rhythm from continuing to occur. Pacemakers and Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs): Pacemakers are small devices placed inside the chest designed to control heart rhythms from going too slowly. Using electrical pulses, pacemakers prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. ICDs are lifesaving devices implanted in patients at higher risk of life threatening arrhythmias. These devices are placed underneath the skin and connected to leads at the bottom and/or top chambers of the heart. Atrial Fibrillation James Allred, MD, director of the Advanced AFib Clinic at Cone Health, with Donna Carroll, MSN, BSN, RN advising a patient. • Moses Cone Hospital was the first in the state to receive full Atrial Fibrillation Certification from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. It is also one of few hospitals in the nation to have an AFib clinic. • Cone Health holds the American Heart Association's AFib Silver Quality Achievement Award (2017), one of 14 hospitals in the U.S. and 1 of 2 in North Carolina to achieve this designation. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT): Cardiac resynchronization therapy is sometimes needed for patients who have a delay in communication between the bottom two chambers of the heart. With an extra lead placed in the lower left chamber of the heart, a pacemaker or defibrillator is able to resynchronize the heart and allows it to work more efficiently. Electrophysiology Services 30 31 CONE HEALTH | HEART AND VASCULAR CENTER CONE HEALTH | THE NETWORK FOR EXCEPTIONAL CARE