Cardiac Mapping

The theory behind cardiac mapping is that certain types of rhythm disorders, caused by small areas of abnormal heart tissue, interrupt the heart's normal electrical system. To diagnose and treat the rhythm disorder, your doctor has to know exactly where this abnormal tissue is located. Cardiac mapping (a type of electrophysiology or EP study) is performed to locate abnormal areas in the heart's electrical system.  During cardiac mapping, your physician will insert several special long, flexible tubes with wires—called electrode catheters—into your heart. These catheters can track or stimulate the heart's electrical signals and help the physician determine where any abnormal tissue is located.

Other types of catheters also may be used to perform cardiac mapping of the heart chamber, and create a three-dimensional model of the chamber at the same time. One type of catheter, called the EnSite Array™ Catheter, does not touch the sides of the chamber. The procedure is called noncontact mapping. The catheter has multiple miniature electrodes on it that act like a miniature radio antenna, receiving signals from all around the heart chamber and relaying them to a computer. The computer quickly processes the signals and displays the recorded information in a three-dimensional graphical display.

By determining what is causing the electrical disruptions, your physician can determine whether your arrhythmia should be treated with medication, an  implantable cardioverter defibrillator  (ICD), a  pacemaker, or a catheter ablation procedure. If your physician decides to implant a device or perform an ablation, it may be done right then.