Owensboro Health | Lift | March 2019

Owensboro Health News OwensboroHealth.org  7 be done through a vein in your arm) and threads it up to your heart. » » Stent: This device can be inserted to widen blood vessels connected to your heart. » » Occlusion, or blockage: Over time (and depending on your diet and lifestyle), deposits can build up and block blood vessels. This is one of the ways heart attacks happen. It’s electric! What is electrophysiology? Electrophysiologists are cardiologists who specialize in the electrical functions of the heart. One of the keys to how your heart works is the network of electrical connections inside it. The heart is an organ that is roughly the size of your fist, and it is mostly made up of muscles. When the muscles of the heart squeeze in the right order, your heart pulls in oxygen-rich blood from your lungs and pushes that blood out to the rest of your body. The electrical connections in your heart are what cause its different parts to squeeze. What do electrophysiologists treat? When the electrical connections work correctly, you have a normal heartbeat. When they malfunction, the heart doesn’t beat as it should. It can beat too fast or too slow, or parts of the heart may beat at the wrong time. This is called an arrhythmia , and some types of arrhythmias are life-threatening. Electrophysiologists can help determine if you have an irregular heart rhythm. Certain types of arrhythmias can be treated with medication while others can be treated with minimally invasive procedures. These procedures can change the route your heart’s electricity takes. Some heart rhythm problems can be treated with an implantable device, like a pacemaker. Common buzzwords in this area: » » Catheterization, or cath. (See “Check the plumbing!”) » » Ablation: Altering electrical pathways in your heart, aka arrhythmias. » » Pacemaker: A type of medical device that can send electricity to your heart to correct rhythm problems. When do you need a cardiologist? Problems with either your heart’s electrical function or its plumbing can cause symptoms that also happen with heart attacks. Seek emergency care right away if you experience: » » Racing or slow heartbeat » » Chest pain » » Shortness of breath » » Fainting or almost fainting » » Dizziness » » Nausea » » Sweating » » Palpitations (being able to feel or hear your own heartbeat without trying, or feeling a fluttering-like feeling in your chest) If you suspect you have an electrical or plumbing problem in your heart, talk to your primary care provider — or your cardiologist, if you have one — as soon as possible. Johnny Makhoul, MD OWENSBORO HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP – CARDIOLOGY 1301 Pleasant Valley Road Suite 202 Owensboro, KY 42303 Phone: 270-417-7500 CARDIOLOGY Leslie Oberst, MD G. Scott Reader, MD Al Salah, MD Tseday Sirak, MD Robin Booth, PA-C Richard Burgan, PA-C Ben Rhodes, PA-C Ellen McLimore, APRN Katie Watkins, APRN INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY Getu Assefa, MD Brian Price, MD Kebede Shire, MD ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY Sofya Kuznetsov, MD Sameh Lamiy, MD Check it out! For more information about Owensboro Health’s heart care services, visit OwensboroHealth.org/Heart . You can also visit our walk-in clinic Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 a.m. ? Dr. Sofya Kuznetsov is fellowship-trained in cardiovascular disease and electrophysiology. As a specialist in electrophysiology, Dr. Kuznetsov specializes in the electrical functions of the heart and the treatment of heart rhythm disorders.