Electrophysiology Service

EKG test If your child has been diagnosed with an arrhythmia or is suspected of having a heart rhythm problem, it’s important that she be examined by a pediatric electrophysiologist.

At Children’s Hospital Boston, our Electrophysiology Service offers a wide range of diagnostic and treatment options for children—and adults—who suffer from an abnormal heart rhythm.

Our expertise

Our service specializes in complex cases that require a high level of expertise. Our doctors and nurses routinely handle heart rhythm problems in even the tiniest and most vulnerable babies. With six full-time cardiologists, nurse specialists and trained fellows, we are one of the largest electrophysiology programs in the country.

The skills and equipment for treating irregular heart rhythms are highly specialized, but must be tightly integrated with the patient's overall health and treatment for other conditions. This is an area where Children's excels. Electrophysiologists work closely with other cardiologists and other specialists to achieve the best outcomes for these complex cases.

Because Children's routinely handles heart rhythm disturbances in infants and very young children, the program is attuned to their needs. Their smaller size and still-developing physiology require smaller equipment than that used for adults, as well as special care in anesthesia and exceptional diagnostic and surgical skills.

Spotlight

The 2011 ICD/Pacemaker Camp is almost here!

Camp dates: September 30 thru October 2, 2011

History of innovation

In 1938, Children’s cardiac surgeon Robert Gross, MD, performed the world’s first successful surgery to correct a child’s heart defect. Since that time, we have gained recognition around the globe for our leadership in pediatric cardiology and continue to make critical advances in the field. In 2010, U.S. News & World Report named Children’s cardiology and cardiac surgery programs the best of any pediatric hospital in the country.

Mapping the heart

Edward Walsh, MD, and John Triedman, MD, of Children's Electrophysiology Service, have helped develop a new technology that electrically maps the heart, providing an extremely detailed way to see where complex arrhythmias originate. The resulting catheter-based procedure allows Children's cardiologists to treat arrhythmias with extreme precision. Our specialists use the technology to repair complex arrhythmias in more congenital heart patients than any other hospital in the world.