hi there.just recently, my grandmother was diagnosed with Ventricular Tachycardia and the doctor requires electrophysiology procedure. what then is electrophysiology? is it really important that granny undergo this procedure?

thank you all..

Ventricular tachycardia occurs when the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) produce impulses that make the heart beat too quickly. With this disorder, the heart doesn't fill with enough blood between beats to meet the body's needs.

What is electrophysiology?
An electrophysiology (EP) study is a test that records the electrical activity and the electrical pathways of your heart. This test is used to help determine the cause of your heart rhythm disturbance and the best treatment for you. During the EP study, your doctor will safely reproduce your abnormal heart rhythm and then may give you different medications to see which one controls it best or to determine the best procedure or device to treat your heart rhythm.

It is important that your grandmother undergoes this procedure because it is a fool proof diagnostic method for Ventricular Tachycardia. The electrophsiology study is done:

* To determine the cause of an abnormal heart rhythm.
* To locate the site of origin of an abnormal heart rhythm.
* To decide the best treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm.

This is what you can expect during the Electrophysiology test:

* You will lie on a bed and the nurse will start an intravenous (IV) line into your arm or hand. This is so you can receive medications and fluids during the procedure. You will be given a medication through your IV to relax you and make you drowsy, but it will not put you to sleep.
* The nurse will connect you to several monitors.
* Your groin will be shaved and cleansed with an antiseptic solution. Sterile drapes are used to cover you, from your neck to your feet. A soft strap will be placed across your waist and arms to prevent your hands from coming in contact with the sterile field.

An electrophysiologist (a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal heart rhythms) will numb your groin with medication and then insert several catheters into the vein in your groin. Guided by the fluoroscopy machine, the catheters are threaded to your heart. The catheters sense the electrical activity in your heart and are used to evaluate your heart's conduction system. The doctor will use a pacemaker to deliver the electrical impulses through one of the catheters to increase your heart rate.

You may feel your heart beating faster or stronger. Your nurses and doctor will want to know about any symptoms you are feeling. If your arrhythmia occurs, your doctor may give you medications through your IV to test their effectiveness in controlling it. If necessary, a small amount of energy may be delivered by the patches on your chest to bring back a normal heart rhythm. Based on the information collected during the study, the doctor may continue with an ablation procedure or device implant (pacemaker or ICD).

Max Devki Devi Heart & Vascular Institute - in New Delhi, India offers affordable health care facilities and the cost of such a test is far cheaper than in the west. For further information visit this website - http://www.meditourinternational.com/medicalpartners/india_max_devki.php

hi Strider!thank you for that intensive anwer.

we have not been to Asian countries so far but we understand that medical tourism is a good thing to do especially that is also offers cheap healthcare. how cheap is cheap? what is the difference? we are also concerned about our safety. is it safe to travel to India at this time? is it worth the savings and effort?

again thank you Strider

<br><br>Post edited by: Saruman, at: 2007/03/23 19:05

Yes - affordable and cheap are really very relative terms. Although I cannot give you the exact cost of the procedure - the following information could perhaps give you rough idea of what you may expect.

A heart surgery costs $6,000 in India as against $30,000 in the US. Similarly, a bone marrow transplant costs $26,000 in India as compared to $2,50,000 in the US.

With regard to the safety factor - you really don't have to worry - with medical tourism industry in these countries booming - special care is taken to keep up with the international standards of hygiene and safety.

Perhaps that is the reason why medical tourism is the thing for Asian countries these days considering the low cost. It is good to hear though that India's government is doing something regarding safety and hygiene. Given these facts, we might consider going on a medical travel there. Thank you Strider

Is this safe for an individual over 75 years of age? I mean can old people
afford to sustain such complex test.

Hi,
Yes these tests can be done on old people. Anyway the doctor who will be conducting the test will first examine the patient and then only start the test procedure. Ventricular tachycardia is mostly common in older people.