What is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of heart rhythm disorders that you hear from patients?
The most commonly misunderstood aspect of heart rhythm disorders is that they are one entity. Hence, patients come with pre-conceived notions as to what is needed based on an anecdote of how a certain friend’s or neighbor’s heart rhythm was treated, and they expect the same treatment for themselves, whether it is a pacemaker/ICD implant or ablation. To get them to understand how there are different types of heart rhythm disorders and how all of them have individualized therapies is challenging. What advancements do you hope to see in the field of cardiac electrophysiology in the next five years? What specific areas need more attention? We continue to make progress in the techniques and instruments used for pulmonary vein isolation. Over the next 5 years, I hope the technology evolves to make it a safer and more effective procedure. I hope we are better able to risk stratify “at risk” populations for sudden cardiac death. Among those that receive ICDs, I hope to see improvement in the t
