Policlinico San Donato

Electrophysiology rooms

The Electrophysiology Laboratory, inaugurated in 2015 in the presence of the then President of the Lombardy Region Roberto Maroni, was entirely conceived and developed by Professor Carlo Pappone, Director of Clinical Arrhythmology and Electrophysiology of the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, with the aim of facing the complex challenges of contemporary arrhythmology.

The Electrophysiology Laboratory is a futuristic structure, equipped with the most advanced technologies available today, dedicated to the study and therapy of complex arrhythmias, from the ablation of arrhythmias that depend on re-entry substrates (nodal re-entry tachycardias, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome), the ablation of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias, and finally the ablation of the arrhythmic substrate in Brugada Syndrome, as well as the implantation of all the most modern cardiac devices, pacemakers, transvenous and subcutaneous defibrillators, resynchronizers and implantable loop recorders.

The Electrophysiology Laboratory consists of three dedicated rooms: the Robotics Room, the Image Integration Room and the Hybrid Procedure Room. The Electrophysiology Rooms have been designed to provide an ideal environment dedicated to the development of an interdisciplinary approach for patients with complex arrhythmias. Their design, through the complete integration of all technological components, offers the possibility of performing hybrid procedures, of using alternative approaches, and allowing the treatment of hemodynamically unstable patients. Characterized by very specific features, the three rooms were built following common principles of ergonomics, simplification of operating interfaces, audio-video connectivity, complete integration with the patient database and with remote monitoring systems allowing the management of the patient remotely and the ability to intervene early on complex clinical situations.

The three Electrophysiology Rooms have a common technological platform. As for radiological equipment, in addition to fluoroscopic systems, there is an integrated system for rotational angiography that allows the three-dimensional reconstruction of the heart chambers, providing maximum anatomical detail. In the rooms, we also have the main and most updated non-fluoroscopic mapping systems. Each mapping system has its own peculiarities and is able to interface with others through integration systems, ensuring maximum information obtainable from each. All the rooms are equipped with a system that ensures the complete integration of the signals and the remote connection of the laboratories, with the possibility of sharing all the information relating to the procedure with other communication platforms, making the instrument particularly suitable for scientific or educational purposes. Lastly, the continuous collaboration with the companies allows the continuous hardware and software updating of the biomedical systems.

The staff of the Electrophysiology Rooms is composed of about 15 Physician Specialists in Electrophysiology, two Doctors Specialized in Anesthesiology, Technical Engineers and Nurses dedicated and specially trained for the conduct of electrophysiology and cardiostimulation procedures.

If you want to know more > OUR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY

Outpatient clinics for visits and diagnostic tests

The Department of Arrhythmology and Electrophysiology of Policlinico San Donato has an autonomous outpatient facility dedicated to the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with heart rhythm disorders and patients with implantable cardiac devices.

Cardiological visits (first visits and check-ups) and checks of implantable cardiac devices (pacemakers, defibrillators, resynchronizers and loop recorders) are performed at the dedicated arrhythmology clinics. All the main cardiological diagnostic tests of arrhythmological interest are performed (baseline 12-lead ECG, dynamic ECG Holter, stress test, tilt test, study of late potentials) and echocardiographic tests (transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram).

If you want to know more > Arrhythmological visits and diagnostic tests

Cardiogenetics service

At the Department of Arrhythmology, there is a Cardiogenetics Service, mainly dedicated to patients with arrhythmogenic heart disease of genetic interest. Genetic counseling visits and samples for genetic tests are carried out at the Arrhythmology clinics. The Cardiogenetics Service is equipped with a dedicated team, made up of a geneticist, medical arrhythmologists, physiologists, and laboratory technicians. The analyses for genetic tests are carried out at the Cardiogenetics Laboratories located at our facility or at the San Raffaele Hospital.

If you want to know more > Cardiogenetics

Remote Monitoring of Implantable Cardiac Devices

Finally, the Remote Monitoring Service of implantable cardiac devices (pacemakers, defibrillators, resynchronizers and loop recorders) is active in the Arrhythmology clinics, which currently has over 3,600 patients followed at our center.

The Remote Monitoring Service is organized as a real Virtual Outpatient Clinic, with two Electrophysiology Technicians dedicated to reviewing the transmissions sent by the devices directly from the patients’ home to our center, under the constant supervision of the Electrophysiologists.

If you want to know more > Remote monitoring of cardiac devices

Meeting Room and Conference Room

A meeting room and a conference room are available at the Department of Arrhythmology and Electrophysiology, both equipped with multimedia systems and a communication platform that allows remote connection with the Electrophysiology Laboratories, with the possibility of sharing information relating to the procedures in real time, a capability particularly suitable for scientific or educational purposes.