What is an electrophysiology study (EPS)?

An electrophysiology study is a procedure in which catheters are passed into the body from the groin area and passed up to the heart through the venous system. These wires record the electrical activity and allow for pacing to assess the hearts electrical system. This determination can assess whether the heart rate is too slow and needs to have some type of intervention, such as a pacemaker, or whether there are faster heart rhythms that can be localized and eliminated through a procedure called ablation where the area is either burned or frozen, kind of like clipping an extra wire, to get rid of the short-circuit causing the faster, troublesome heart rhythm.