Arrhythmia

Preparing for the EP Study

Before your electrophysiology (EP) study or catheter ablation procedure, you should:

• Get specific instructions about the food you may eat -- you will be asked not to eat or drink for six to eight hours before the procedure to prevent nausea
• Make arrangements with a friend or family member to drive you to and from the hospital
• Bring a list of the names and dosages of all your current medications

You will be instructed to stop taking certain medications several days before the study to assure more accurate results. Blood thinners such as Coumadin are usually stopped four days before the procedure. If you are taking a blood thinner, please make sure your doctor knows about it.

Be sure to mention to the doctor or nurse any allergic reactions you have experienced from medications. Also remember that a side effects, like nausea, and an allergy are not necessarily the same thing.

Sometime before your procedure, your doctor will review your medical history and examine you. He or she also will explain the purpose of the procedure, its potential benefits and possible risks. Because an EP study is "invasive," requiring the insertion of catheters into the body, it involves some risk. The risk is small, however, and the study is relatively safe. Most patients who undergo EP studies do not experience complications, but you should discuss your particular risk factors with your doctor, as well as any questions, concerns or feelings.

You and your family will be scheduled to meet with our Electrophysiology Arrhythmia Nurse Coordinator Marilynn Namekawa Wong a day or two before your procedure in the Ambulatory Care Center, 400 Parnassus Ave., 5th floor Cardiology. She will instruct you on your arrhythmia, electrophysiology study or catheter ablation procedure and answer any questions. Also, pre-admission tests, such as lab work and a 12 lead electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), will be performed if not done before your procedure date. Your pre-admission blood sample will be drawn in the laboratory on the first floor of the Ambulatory Care Center. Wong will consult by phone if you live at a distance and will have your pre-admission tests performed at your personal doctor's office.

Dos and Don'ts

Here is a list of things to do and not to do before your electrophysiology (EP) or catheter ablation procedure at UCSF Medical Center.

Dos

• Take your medicines as usual, unless our office tells you otherwise. Please inform our office if you are on Coumadin or medications for your heart rhythm.

• Bring your medicines to the hospital.

• Bring any medical records or lab results that your personal doctor asks you to take to the doctors who will be performing your electrophysiology study. Make sure your referring doctor has sent copies of any cardiac studies you might have had, and electrocardiograms (ECG or EKG)of your arrhythmia, if available, to us at UCSF.

• Pack a small bag with personal toiletries for your hospital admission.

• Eat a regular supper the evening before your electrophysiology study.

• Arrive at UCSF Medical Center, 505 Parnassus Ave. at 7:15 a.m., which is the usual admission time unless you are instructed differently, and go to the Admitting Office, room 140 M on the main floor. Public parking is available across the street. It is very important that you arrive on time at the Admitting Office. From the Admitting Office, you will be directed to one of the three locations listed below: 10 Long Hospital, to the nurse's station or 13th floor Moffitt, room 1351, to the Electrophysiology Laboratory. or 12th floor Moffitt, room 1230, to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Don'ts

• Make sure that you do not eat or drink anything after midnight, the night before your test. Also, do not drink any water unless you need to take your regular morning pills on the day of the procedure, but take your pills with only enough water to swallow them. You may brush your teeth and rinse your mouth the morning of the procedure.

• Please do not bring large sums of money or valuables to the hospital unless family or friends coming with you will hold them during the electrophysiology study.

We would like to make your stay at UCSF Medical Center as pleasant and comfortable as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our Electrophysiology Arrhythmia Nurse Coordinator Marilynn Namekawa Wong at (415) 476-9194 or our main office at (415) 476-5706.

To learn more, please read FAQ: Electrophysiology Study and Catheter Ablation.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.