Growing cardiac electrophysiology team combines academic expertise with excellent patient care
What happens when state-of-the-art technology meets a wealth of human expertise? Just look closely within University of Iowa Health Care’s Heart and Vascular Center, where a blend of faculty members who specialize in cardiac electrophysiology (EP) are working together to revolutionize outcomes and expand treatment options for patients.
Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH, is one of three cardiac electrophysiologists who joined the growing EP team in the last year. As director of electrophysiology and medical director of the Electrophysiology Lab, he and other EP team members collaborate with a wide variety of our health care experts to provide some of the most advanced treatments for all types of heart arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (Afib), in Iowa.
Cardiac electrophysiology is the branch of cardiology focused on caring for and regulating the various electrical systems of the heart.
Bringing EP expertise to Iowa
“When people think about the heart, they are mostly thinking about the vessels, the plumbing portion, and the valves,” says Dominic. “EP is unique from other cardiac specialties in the sense that it deals with the electricity of the heart.”
The EP team focuses on caring for, researching, and regulating these electrical systems, including the heart’s rhythm. They provide the latest treatments for cardiac conditions, including the most rare and challenging, like hard-to-reach arrhythmias, and help patients who can’t tolerate blood thinners or other treatment options.
Dominic is an expert himself at treating heart rhythm conditions like Afib and sleep apnea through minimally invasive treatments. He is one of the few doctors in the nation—and the only one in Iowa—who specializes in a new procedure called cardioneuroablation, which involves burning nerve endings inside the heart to increase the resting heart rate and to prevent a sudden drop in heart rate leading to fainting.
“In addition to the newer techniques and technology that advances safety and better outcomes for our patients, we're also offering newer techniques and procedures that offer solutions to problems where none existed before,” adds Peter Farjo, MD, MS, one of newer cardiac electrophysiologists on the EP team.
Setting the EP team up for success
“Our current faculty are extremely cohesive,” notes Dominic. “We have a huge spectrum of experiences and age groups, which enables us to have a good balance between academic and patient care. And that's important to us because we want to be not just leaders in health care, but also leaders in inventing newer therapies and treatments.”
Dominic notes that in the past, the cardiac EP team never had subsections of specialties, but that has since changed. The team appointed Farjo as director for the conduction system pacing program and Michael Powers, MD, MBA, as director for lead extraction program, with plans for more directors in the future. “EP is so specialized now that one physician can no longer be good at everything. “We want people to lead those specialized programs and bring the best to Iowa,” Dominic says.
In addition, the EP team is implementing steps to become an Afib center of excellence, an initiative of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) that aims to provide multidisciplinary care for Afib patients. Some of the core components HRS recommends centers have include patient and provider education, cost-effective and patient-centered care, and procedural quality. “With new standardized procedures in place, our goal is to build this Afib Center of Excellence for patients to have better access, a better experience, and better flow of patient care,” says Dominic.
Dominic adds that in the long run, the team’s goal is to continue creating an atmosphere that focuses on academic research and discovery and providing nationally known patient care.
“From our longest to our newest team member, we have a wealth of experience and expertise,” he shares. “It’s really a very cohesive group. We look at each other like a family, which makes it a fun group to work with.”
