The heart is a muscle that is constantly beating to pump blood through tubes (blood vessels) to all parts of the body. The heart’s “plumbing system” and “electrical system” must both work correctly for the heart to work as it should.

The heart’s normal electrical system synchronizes the beating of the heart’s chambers. When the electrical system does not work well, disturbances in normal heart rhythm (arrhythmias) cause abnormal heartbeats, such as too rapid, too slow or not very regular.

These arrhythmias can cause symptoms such as fluttering and palpitations. The abnormal heartbeat sometimes can reduce heart function.

Physicians usually treat these disturbances in heart rhythm with medication, minimally invasive procedures or implanted cardiac electrical devices. At Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, electrophysiologists work closely with specially trained nurses and technicians in the electrophysiology laboratory to fully evaluate, treat and often cure many arrhythmias in children.

State-of-the-Art Technology to Treat Arrhythmias

Electrophysiology services include:

• Defibrillator insertion
• Intracardiac electrophysiology studies
• Transesophageal electrophysiology studies
• 3D mapping
• Catheter ablation with radiofrequency or cryoablation technologies
• Insertion of pacemakers — small, battery-powered medical devices designed to electrically stimulate the heart muscle in an effort to restore a more normal heart rhythm
• Loop recorder insertion

Why Choose Norton Children’s Heart Institute

• Norton Children’s Hospital has been a pioneer in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, performing Kentucky’s first pediatric heart transplant in 1986 and becoming the second site in the United States to perform an infant heart transplant.
• The American Board of Thoracic Surgery has certified our cardiothoracic surgeons in congenital heart surgery.
• The Adult Congenital Heart Association has accredited Norton Children’s Heart Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program as the only comprehensive care center in Kentucky and Indiana treating adults born with a heart defect.
• More than 5,000 children a year visit Norton Children’s Heart Institute for advanced heart care.
• Norton Children’s Heart Institute has offices across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to bring quality pediatric heart care closer to home.
• The Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital is the largest dedicated CICU in Kentucky, equipped with 17 private rooms and the newest technology available for heart care.