Cardiac electrophysiology is a subspecialty of cardiology. The physician looks at how electric currents inside the heart muscle tissue work, how the current spreads, and what the pattern of the currents mean.
![[cardiologist looks at pacemaker ]](https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/248/248935/cardiologist-looks-at-pacemaker.jpg?w=1155&h=978)
Electrophysiology study (EPS) of the heart: in this test, a catheter is threaded into a vein at the top of the leg. Guided under fluoroscopy, it makes its way to the heart. The catheter measures the electrical signals within the heart.
An EPS of the heart can:
- help to show what is causing symptoms
- help decide if a patient needs a pacemaker
- help decide the best treatment for patients with arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm
- determine how likely a patient is to experience tachycardia or an accelerated heart beat
A cardiac electrophysiologist can provide treatment for abnormal rhythms including cardiac ablation, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or pacemakers.