Feasibility and safety of outpatient electrophysiologic testing

One-hundred-thirty patients underwent 53 electrophysiological studies inclu ding programmed atrial and ventricular stimulation and 96 atrial overdrive stimulations on an outpatient basis. The indications for electrophysiologic al study were disabling palpitation, syncope, or presyncope, intracardiac c onduction disturbance, and bradyarrhythmia. In one patient the efficacy of oral antiarrhythmic drug therapy was evaluated by repeat electrophysiologic al study. Atrial overdrive stimulation was performed in patients with atria l flutter or atrial tachycardia. On the basis of the result of electrophysi ological testing, 25 patients were believed not to require any treatment, 1 6 patients received new drug therapy, 7 patients underwent catheter ablatio n in a second session, 2 patients had either a pacemaker or an ICD implante d, and 1 patient continued to receive the drug therapy that had been tested . Atrial overdrive stimulation resulted in a regular sinus rhythm in 66 pat ients (69 %). Except for one patient in whom atrial flutter could not be te rminated, atrial fibrillation was induced in the remaining 30 patients. Aft er the procedure, patients were monitored for 30 min in case of overdrive s timulation, and for approximately 3 h after electrophysiological study or 6 h if additional coronary angiography had been performed. Severe complicati ons were not observed. In 10 cases minor hematoma occurred at the puncture site without serious sequelae. - Outpatient electrophysiological study as w ell as atrial overdrive stimulation are feasible and safe in a selected gro up of patients.