Our heart is a sophisticated organ that consists of four chambers, which work together in sync. The top two chambers are called the atrium and delivers blood to the bottom two larger chambers (called the ventricle). The reason why the atrium and ventricle can beat in harmony is because of the ‘electrical wiring’ that connects the chambers. It is the electrical impulses within this wiring that ultimately leads to the pumping motion of the heart.
A disturbance in the electricity of heart may lead to an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia means that the heart is beating either too slowly, too quickly, or irregularly. These abnormalities can manifest as either a minor inconvenience, discomfort or can be potentially fatal. Arrhythmias can be treated medically or in a minimally invasive way (electrophysiology study, catheter ablation and cardiac implantable electronic devices). Cardiologists with a subspecialty interest in arrhythmias (a field called ‘Cardiac electrophysiology and devices’) usually manage these conditions especially the complex types.
The most common arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AF), which can occur in up to 1 in 10 adults above 65 years of age. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias varies widely and has been estimated to be present in about 1 in 2000 people.
Our research focuses on multiple types of arrhythmias and conditions that can cause arrhythmias:
- Atrial fibrillation (a common arrhythmia due to irregularities in rhythm of the atrium)
- Ventricular arrhythmia (a potentially dangerous arrhythmia arising from the ventricle)
- Cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle)
- The effects of a wide variety of interventions on an arrhythmia and the study of novel drugs that can potentially treat arrhythmias.