Cardiac Arrhythmia Program

The MaineHealth Cardiac Arrhythmia program supports patients with problems in the electrical function of the heart that cause abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Sometimes the heart beats irregularly, too slowly (bradycardia), too fast (tachycardia), or it can simply stop (sudden cardiac death syndrome). The MaineHealth electrophysiology (EP) team has comprehensive expertise in treating the full range of cardiac arrhythmias. 

The program continuously evolves to address the changing arrhythmia needs of our communities. MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) has become a high-volume tertiary referral center for northern New England, managing both simple and complex arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter, premature ventricular contractions, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. MHMMC also specializes in the care of patients with complex cardiac rhythm device conditions such as device malfunctions, leads, infected devices, and extraction of leads and devices. Our EP specialists are available for consultation at MaineHealth hospitals and practice offices across the system service area.

Awards and Achievements:

• MHMMC is the only hospital in Maine with a pediatric EP specialist treating children with arrhythmias.
• MHMMC was the first hospital in Maine to perform the convergent procedure for patients suffering with persistent atrial fibrillation (A-fib), who may have failed other treatment modalities.
• MHMMC achieved the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines: A-fib Gold Award for 2019 - the highest award given by the A-fib registry - signifying that:
  • For a period of two full years we achieved an average score above 85% compliance on all six achievement measures required by the American Heart Association
  • An outstanding level of care is provided to our patients who experience A-fib
• Our EP group has been involved in multi-center clinical trials for over 30 years. We participate in major studies to develop anti-arrhythmic drugs and devices – giving our patients access to new treatments before they are available anyplace else in Maine. EP research studies currently enrolling patients include Artesia and ASAP-TOO.
• MHMMC is the only hospital in Maine to offer percutaneous occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) using the WATCHMAN™ device. This is an option for patients at high risk for stroke who need a Warfarin alternative due to high risk of bleeding.

Conditions:

• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial flutter
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Premature ventricular contractions
• Sudden cardiac death syndrome
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Services:

• Cardiac rhythm device implantation and management
  • Pacemakers
  • Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICDs)
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) or biventricular pacing
• Electrophysiology
• Loop recorder implantation
• Convergent surgery
• Arrhythmia surgery
• Cardioversion
• Laser lead extraction
• Cardiac ablation
  • Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
  • Atrial flutter ablation (AF)
  • AV node ablation
• Medical management 
• Open-heart surgery 
• Left atrial appendage ligation
• Left atrial appendage occlusion/closure (LAAC)