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The Johns Hopkins Electrophysiology
Service is the oldest program in the mid-Atlantic, performing
nearly 2000 procedures annually, among which are approximately
300 catheter ablations. In addition to the standard, comprehensive
procedures, we also participate in clinical trials that allow
patients access to new technology. Our staff represents some of
the most experienced and skilled physicians, nurses and technologists
in the United States.
The Hopkins Electrophysiology
Service began in the early 1970s with two goals: to provide leading
edge care for patients with arrhythmias and to do research to
determine the cause of arrhythmias and develop treatments for
patients who have heart rhythm problems.
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William
Kouwenhoven, Ph.D., the electrical engineer at Johns Hopkins
who invented CPR (cardiopulminary resuscitation).
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As the first such service
in Maryland, and one of the first in the United
States, the Johns Hopkins Electrophysiology Service rapidly took
on a leadership role. An early success was the development and
use of the first automatic implantable defibrillator, also known
as implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). In 1980, Dr. Levi
Watkins, Jr. first implanted this device, which was invented by
Drs. Michel Mirowski and Morton Mower, in a patient who had experienced
numerous episodes of life-threatening arrhythmias.
Currently, doctors
at the Hopkins Electrophysiology Service are focusing their efforts
on catheter ablation. Other areas of interest include the causes
and treatment of atrial fibrillation and syncope, and the perfection
of pacemaker and ICD therapy.
Johns Hopkins is the
birthplace of CPR, developed by the chairman of electrical engineering.
The first life-saving effort was performed on a dog, which was
instrumented. Shortly thereafter, the first human use of CPR saved
the life of a small child. The technique spread rapidly from then.
The Electrophysiology
Service offers a wide range of clinical trials that may help your
patients. Contact us by using the Hopkins Access Line (HAL) 24
hours a day, seven days a week, at (800) 765-JHHS (5447), or locally,
at (410) 955-9444.
Terms
and Conditions
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