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Heart Rhythm Institute Blog

Read about the advanced therapies performed for heart rhythm disorders at Oklahoma Heart Hospital and stay connected with the Heart Rhythm Institute.

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Posted on May 1st, 2016
When treating health concerns that may impact the heart, it’s important for doctors to know how well a patient’s heart works. Enter the ejection fraction, a calculation that helps doctors measure the efficiency of the heart. The heart has both a left ejection fraction and a right ejection fraction since each side of the heart pumps separately — the left side of the heart pumps blood to the brain... Read More
Posted on April 15th, 2016
One of the most common types of syncope is reflex mediated syncope, also called neurally mediated or vasovagal syncope. With this type of syncope, episodes occur because of miscues in the autonomic nervous system, or the system that controls regular bodily functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. Receptors in the human body send information to the brain, and the brain regulates... Read More
Posted on April 4th, 2016
Syncope is a sudden, complete loss of consciousness commonly described as fainting or passing out. In a typical syncope episode, a person will be standing and simply pass out with little to no warning. They will be unconscious for just a few minutes and may feel warm or appear flushed when they wake up. Syncope on its own may not be dangerous, aside from some risk of injury when passing out.... Read More
Posted on March 15th, 2016
Every patient diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (aka AFib or AF) is unique — the length and frequency of their irregular rhythms vary, they have different health histories and risk factors, and they may respond differently to available treatment options. Your doctor at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital will work with you to determine the best course of action to help you manage AF and reduce your risk... Read More
Posted on March 1st, 2016
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of irregular heart rhythm often seen in the aging population. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation, commonly known as “AFib,” include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, light headedness, dizziness, and sometimes passing out. AF impacts a person’s overall daily life because they don’t feel their best and often lack energy to do regular activities. While... Read More
Posted on February 15th, 2016
A catheter ablation is a procedure used to treat a variety of heart arrhythmias, including atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardia and more. For some life-threatening arrhythmias, ablation is scheduled as soon as possible after diagnosis. For other less severe arrhythmias, medication may be recommended first and ablation second.  For... Read More
Posted on February 1st, 2016
At Oklahoma Heart Hospital, electrophysiologists are changing lives when they perform catheter ablations, a procedure used to treat a variety of heart arrhythmias. Ablation is effective at treating the vast majority of arrhythmias, ranging from atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation to premature ventricular contractions and ventricular tachycardia. Following a successful ablation procedure,... Read More
Posted on January 18th, 2016
Patients and family members of patients considering a defibrillator may have many questions about the procedure, monitoring, maintenance, or other questions. The following questions are some of the most common questions about defibrillators that we hear at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. What’s involved in the placement procedure for a defibrillator? Implanting a typical two-wire defibrillator takes... Read More
Posted on January 4th, 2016
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a specialized type of device that can both pace the heart and defibrillate or shock the heart. Pacemakers are typically implanted for heart rates that are too slow in order to help keep it beating in a steady rhythm. The defibrillator’s main purpose is to shock the heart back into a regular rhythm if a life-threatening arrhythmia (... Read More
Posted on December 14th, 2015
Many people have experienced a heart palpitation at least once - that odd fluttering in your chest, feeling like your heart is beating too hard, or thinking your heart skipped a beat.  Palpitations, or occasional irregular heartbeats, are fairly common and can be triggered by many things - stress, alcohol, caffeine, medications and supplements, or even hormonal changes. In many cases, they... Read More

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