Electrophysiologist in Tulsa, OK

At Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI), we are proud to have the largest team of electrophysiology specialists in northeast Oklahoma offering comprehensive heart arrhythmia care. Our arrhythmia specialists and electrophysiologists provide a wide range of services to patients who need help regulating their heart rhythm, including evaluation, diagnosis, and therapy for conditions like atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias. We also offer placement of devices for congestive heart failure, as well as regular monitoring and adjustments to these devices to ensure normal function. No matter your condition or cardiovascular needs, our heart arrhythmia team is here to provide exceptional care you can depend on.

Find an Electrophysiology Provider

Select a doctor and schedule an appointment

Schedule an Appointment

Call 918-592-0999 to request an appointment

Locations

Search our locations to find the one nearest to you

About electrophysiology

Electrophysiology plays a crucial role in cardiology, especially for diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders, known as arrhythmias. Electrophysiologists employ specialized techniques like electrocardiography (ECG) and invasive procedures to measure and analyze the heart’s electrical activity. The data from these electrophysiology studies allows our providers to pinpoint the origin of arrhythmias and create effective treatment plans, which may include medication, ablation, or the use of implantable devices.

Oklahoma Heart Institute’s heart rhythm service provides a full array of advanced services to patients who need help regulating their heart rhythm. Our electrophysiology team of specialists is the largest in northeast Oklahoma offering state-of-the-art arrhythmia care. We provide evaluation, diagnosis and therapy for conditions such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, and SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Electrophysiologists specialize in device management and implantation, including pacemakers, ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) and loop recorders.

How to refer

For referrals, please email OHIEPREFERRAL@oklahomaheart.com. Please include the following patient records in your referral: demographics, stress test, echo, monitor, EKG and referring’s most recent office visit note.

Types of heart arrhythmias

There are various types of heart arrhythmias, and your specific condition will determine the heart rhythm care plan your doctor creates for you. At the Oklahoma Heart Institute, our highly skilled heart arrhythmia team provides care for the following conditions:

Atrial fibrillation (AFIB) – Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat, a rapid heartbeat or quivering of the upper chambers of the heart. AFIB is the most common sustained heart irregularity or cardiac arrhythmia. It often occurs due to a malfunction, damage, or abnormality in the heart’s electrical structure, however other causes can include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, an overactive thyroid, or stress from surgery. AFIB isn’t life-threatening, but it often causes fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and can sometimes lead to more serious conditions like congestive heart failure and stroke.
Atrial flutter – Atrial flutter is caused by an electrical wave that circulates very rapidly in the atrium, leading to a fast but regular heartbeat. Like AFIB, the upper heart chambers are not able to beat very well and this can result in an increased risk of stroke.
Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) – Also called bradycardia and sinus node dysfunction, SSS is not a disease but a group of signs of symptoms that show the heart’s natural pacemaker (the sinus node) is not working properly. In SSS, the heart rate can alternate between slow (bradycardia) and fast (tachycardia), often in combination with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) – SVT develops when an extra pathway allows the heart to short circuits, resulting in a rapid heart beat. There may be heart palpitation symptoms or no symptoms at all. The most common types of SVT are atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) and atrial tachycardia (AT).
Ventricular arrhythmias – This is an abnormal heartbeat that occurs in the lower chambers of the heart. There are three types:
- Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), which can result when cells from the bottom chamber of the heart beat before the normal conducted impulse occurs. This often feels like the heart is “skipping a beat”.
- Ventricular fibrillation (VF), in which the heartbeat is fast and chaotic, causing the lower heart chambers (ventricles) to lose their ability to pump effectively, which then results in a drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness.
- Ventricular tachycardia (VT), which is a rapid heart rhythm that occurs in the lower chambers or ventricles of the heart. It often occurs in people with underlying heart disease like coronary artery disease, heart failure, or history of a previous heart attack.

Please call 918-592-0999 to learn more about the conditions we treat.

Heart screenings and diagnostic testing

Our skilled team of arrhythmia specialists and electrophysiologists use a variety of tests and screenings to determine the cause of your abnormal heart rhythm. Our cardiac electrophysiology tests include:

Heart Screening u0026amp; Imaging

Learn more about heart screening and imaging

Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) – This 10-second recording of your heartbeat can help doctors identify heart rhythm abnormalities, as well as evidence of old heart attacks or congenital abnormalities.
Electrophysiology study – This study may be recommended to help induce heart rhythm abnormalities or detect conduction disease. Soft, flexible catheters are advanced through the vein in the leg and placed in the heart. Stimulation is performed to recreate heart rhythm disturbance.
Event recorder – These monitors are used to capture less frequent arrhythmias. Patients will wear this monitor up to 30 days and the recorder will activate when symptoms are present.
Holter monitoring – This monitor records all heartbeats for extended periods of time. They are usually worn for 1 to 14 days. An evaluation can be performed once the monitor is returned to your doctor.
Implantable loop recorders – When long term monitoring is required, you may receive an implantable loop recorder. These recording devices are inserted just under the skin through a minimally invasive procedure, and have batteries that can last up to three years. Benefits include being small in size, minimally invasive, technologically advanced, MRI accessible and the ability to continually collect data which improves efficiency.

Heart arrhythmia treatments

No matter what type of heart rhythm disorder you have, our heart doctors are prepared to offer you the treatment you need to have a healthier heart. We treat irregular heartbeats with the following services:

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) – A CRT device is a type of pacemaker for certain patients with heart failure. This device helps to resynchronize muscle contractions and improve the function of a weakened heart.
Cardioversion – This is a brief procedure in which an electrical shock is delivered to the heart to convert an abnormal rhythm to a normal one.
Catheter ablation – During this procedure, catheters are guided into the blood vessels and heart muscle. A burst of energy then destroys very small areas of tissues that are causing your abnormal heartbeat.
Energy sources can include radio frequency, cryoablation and pulse field ablation.
Extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (EV-ICD) – An implantable device used to deliver defibrillation and anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) to patients with life-threatening cardiac arrythmias at risk of sudden cardiac attest. EV-ICDs also offer remote monitoring of patients’ heart rhythm and are MRI compatible.
Defibrillator – Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) monitor your heart. They shock lethal rhythms when necessary and are 99% effective in stopping life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms. They are the most successful option to treat VF, the major cause of sudden cardiac arrest.
Device extraction – Our electrophysiologists are experienced with both the implantation and removal of pacemaker and defibrillator leads. At OHI, removing pacing leads can be accomplished almost 100% of the time without open heart surgery, and at minimal risk to the patient.
Left atrial appendage closure (LAA) – An estimated 90% of heart clots that cause stroke come from the left atrial appendage closure (LAA). By closing off the LAA, the risk of stroke is greatly reduced. At OHI we implant the Watchman FLX Pro device to close off the LAA. This device offers a stroke risk reduction option for high-risk patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. This one-time minimally invasive procedure is done under anesthesia and takes one to two hours.
Medication – If appropriate, a doctor may prescribe you medication to manage your heart rhythm disorder. Blood thinners (anticoagulants) have been shown to significantly improve survival for people at risk of stroke due to atrial fibrillation. Antiarrhythmics are also commonly used to reduce episodes of an arrhythmia.
Pacemaker – Pacemakers prevent slow heart rhythms by electrically stimulating the heart muscle. Current advances in pacing have allowed for leadless pacemakers. Also, conductive system pacing allows the impulse to travel using the body’s natural electrical system to prevent congestive heart failure.
Risk factor modification – Leading a healthy lifestyle can ease the symptoms experienced with heart rhythm disorders and other heart conditions. Modifiable risk factors include weight, sleep apnea, alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, blood pressure control and diabetic management. Controlling these risk factors can drastically improve the ability to treat and prevent AFib.

Treatment options vary according to a patient’s health history, symptoms and preferences. Our arrhythmia specialists take these factors into account during your initial evaluation. If you have questions or would like more information about the services offered at our heart hospital, please call 918-592-0999.