NEGMC now a 'full service' cardiac care facility

GAINESVILLE - Northeast Georgia Medical Center has begun providing a cardiac service which hospital officials say means it is now a "full service" cardiac care facility.

The first electrophysiology, or EP, procedure was performed last week.

"The addition of EP services to the cardiac services provided at NGMC and the Ronnie Green Heart Center means we are now a 'full service' cardiac care facility," says Lynda Adams, director of Cardiac Services at NGMC. "We have not been able to offer electrophysiology because it is a cardiac sub-specialty, and we did not have a physician on our medical staff trained in EP; however, an electrophysiologist recently joined a local practice, and we are excited to now be able to offer EP to patients in our service area."

Electrophysiology studies look at problems with the "electrical system" of the heart, also known as the heart rhythms, or the speed and pattern of the heartbeat. During an EP study, an electrode catheter is inserted into the patient's leg and guided to the heart. The catheter then sends electrical signals to stimulate the heart, and any resulting rhythms or changes are closely monitored from inside the heart and studied to determine exactly what the rhythm problem is and what can be done to control it.

If a problem is detected during an EP study, several treatment options can be used including catheter ablation (a procedure which destroys an abnormal electrical pathway that may be causing an abnormal heart rhythm), pacemaker insertion (to correct a slow heart rhythm), insertion of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) (to correct a fast heart rhythm) or changes in medication therapy. If left untreated, a serious heart rhythm problem can stop the heart from pumping, leading to cardiac arrest.

"The good thing about EP studies is that you can target the problem and repair it almost immediately because you are dealing with a structural problem rather than a progressive disease," says Adams. "And now, we will be able to treat patients needing EP studies close to home."