Editing Cardiology (section)

==== Cardiac electrophysiology ====
{{Main|Cardiac electrophysiology}}

Cardiac electrophysiology is the science of elucidating, diagnosing, and treating the electrical activities of the heart. The term is usually used to describe studies of such phenomena by invasive (intracardiac) [[Cardiac catheterization|catheter]] recording of spontaneous activity as well as of cardiac responses to [[programmed electrical stimulation]] (PES). These studies are performed to assess complex [[arrhythmia]]s, elucidate symptoms, evaluate abnormal [[electrocardiograms]], assess risk of developing arrhythmias in the future, and design treatment.  These procedures increasingly include therapeutic methods (typically [[radiofrequency ablation]], or [[cryoablation]]) in addition to diagnostic and prognostic procedures.

Other therapeutic modalities employed in this field include [[antiarrhythmic drug]] therapy and implantation of [[artificial pacemaker|pacemakers]] and automatic [[implantable cardioverter-defibrillators]] (AICD).<ref name=Fauci>Fauci, Anthony, et al. ''Harrison's Textbook of Medicine''. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.</ref><ref>Braunwald, Eugene, ed. ''Heart Disease, 6th edition.'' Philadelphia: Saunders, 2011.</ref>

The cardiac [[electrophysiology study]] typically measures the response of the injured or cardiomyopathic myocardium to PES on specific pharmacological regimens in order to assess the likelihood that the regimen will successfully prevent potentially fatal sustained [[ventricular tachycardia]] (VT) or [[ventricular fibrillation]] (VF) in the future. Sometimes a ''series'' of electrophysiology-study drug trials must be conducted to enable the cardiologist to select the one regimen for long-term treatment that best prevents or slows the development of VT or VF following PES. Such studies may also be conducted in the presence of a newly implanted or newly replaced cardiac pacemaker or AICD.<ref name=Fauci />