Overview

An electrophysiology (EP) study — also called invasive cardiac electrophysiology — is a series of tests that examine your heart's electrical activity.

The heart's electrical system produces signals (impulses) that control the timing of your heartbeats. During an EP study, doctors can create a very detailed map of how these signals move between each heartbeat.

An EP study can help determine the cause of heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias). Sometimes it's done to predict the risk of sudden cardiac death.

An EP study is performed in a hospital by heart doctors (cardiologists) with special training in heart rhythm disorders (electrophysiologists).