What is it like having an EP Study?

I am going to have an EP done.

[Rdiehl01]

It’s very easy

[Hidden in reply to Rdiehl01]

Great for replying!🙂If easy; what happens? You can just bullet point it to make it simple or put it in a few easy sentences/ points. I would really appreciate it. Did you stay in hospital over night / go home the same day?

[Heidiki]

You will need to stop eating or drinking about 12 hours before the procedure. They will have you show up a few hours in advance to prep you. Prep is blood work to make sure you are healthy enough to have the procedure. They will have you get in a gown, they will shave your groin area, start an IV. The procedure...they will put you in a twilight, I only woke up once for a second, otherwise I have no memory of anything else. They use specialized cameras and a laser type thing, they insert through the arteries in your groin that they snake up to your heart. Once there they administer meds to make your heart have an SVT then they map it. If they can find the extra wire, they zap it with the laser. Then they repeat until they no longer can get your heart to have an SVT. It is possible they won’t be able to get you to have an SVT while in there, and then they wouldn’t do any lasering. The procedure takes a couple hours up to about 5. Then they either make you lay still for 6 hours or sometimes they put heavy weight on your groin area for 6 hours to make the openings they made in the arteries close. It sounds worse than what it is. You are out for most of it. The 6 hours after are not easy. Waiting always sucks. Sometimes you get to go home the same day, but it all depends on your specific situation. There are risks involved so make sure you ask all the questions and learn all you can and need to. Recovery isn’t too bad. You will not be able to lift or drive for a few days. You may have some bruising in the groin and for me my heart felt a bit sore, for a lack of a better way to describe it.

[Hidden in reply to Heidiki]

Thanks so much for the detailed answer!!!! You have told me so much of what might happen. It seems you have to lay down for a long time and the actual procedure seems like s long time too😉thanks!

[Heidiki in reply to Hidden]

You are welcome! For me the laying still for 6 hours was the hardest part. I also have back issues, and after 4 hours it felt like I was laying on a bed of nails. No fun! They said next time I can ask for pain medicine, which I was unaware that I could.

[Hidden in reply to Heidiki]

Thanks so much for the reply. I sure it will be ok!! I hope I get the results afterwards!!!