Top-Rated Electrophysiologist Explains New Treatments for Atrial Fibrillation – “A Fib”
Arrhythmias, or irregular heart rhythms known as “A Fib,” are among the most common types of heart problems and can occur in virtually anyone. An abnormal heart rhythm can mean the heart beats too fast or too slow, skips a beat, or “flutters.” These symptoms may progress if untreated. As Medical Director of the Electrophysiology Lab at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Dr. Navinder Sawhney specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and management of these conditions. Since 2013, Dr. Sawhney has also treated patients in his clinical practice within Arch Health Partners’ Cardiology group in Escondido. Dr. Sawhney was attracted by the close network of Primary Care and Specialty Care providers and by the opportunity and resources to start a new program in Electrophysiology. Dr. Sawhney is a graduate of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, with specialized training in Cardiology and Electrophysiology from the University of California, San Diego, where he served as Assistant Professor of Cardiology for several years before joining Arch Health Partners. He is board-certified in both Cardiology and Cardiac Electophysiology.
His primary role within the Arch Health Partners Cardiology team is to take care of patients with heart rhythm disorders, “A Fib” in particular. This condition currently affects about one percent of the population in the United States--over 2.5 million people, although as Dr. Sawhney says, “those are just the ones who are being diagnosed.” He believes many more people are affected without knowing the basis of the condition or because they have not sought out a specialist. For example, symptoms as simple as a “racing heart” may not send a person to the Cardiologist and are often attributed to anxiety, nervousness, or may be misdiagnosed as a panic attack since the timing of a normal in-office test may not reveal what’s really going on at home. Wearing a heart monitor at home may help, but with intermittent symptoms, Dr. Sawhney explains that it may still be difficult to catch an A Fib episode, depending on the frequency of symptoms in a given patient.
Dr. Sawhney believes that anyone with A Fib should seek out treatment for these symptoms, as the condition can persist and progress, and in doing so the heart itself may “remodel” to accommodate the condition – resulting in structural changes, including fibrosis, enlargement of the heart, and other conditions that are harder to control with medication. He stresses that it’s best to detect and be referred to a specialist for better treatment options, either with medication or newer options such as cardiac catheter ablation, a special focus for Dr. Sawhney in both the clinic and in his research. Cardiac catheter ablation may be recommended where medications may not be the best option for patients taking other medications or for patients who have tried medication and not found them effective. The procedure is minimally invasive and may slow the progression of the condition and its more serious effects, such as heart failure and stroke.
Both Primary Care physicians and Cardiologists can refer a specialist in Electrophysiology. According to Dr. Sawhney, “It’s a highly technical field...the technology is always changing and improving. We use a lot of electro-anatomical mapping now; we can reconstruct what the heart pathways look like in 3D and use that to navigate within the heart.” Dr. Sawhney’s clinical practice allows him to help patients manage A Fib and other conditions, such as atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardias, ventricular tachycardia, as well as implantation and maintenance of pacemakers and the use of defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. He utilizes the most current techniques and is also leading the program on left atrial appendage closure to help prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. Dr. Sawhney is actively involved in clinical research and has led investigations on the optimal approach to catheter-based ablation of atrial fibrillation and the optimal programming for cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. He has published numerous articles and written several textbook chapters on arrhythmia management.
Arch Health Partners is a non-profit, multi-specialty medical group located in San Diego, CA, affiliated with Palomar Health, with locations in Poway, Escondido, Rancho Peñasquitos, 4S Ranch and Ramona. To Request an Appointment with Dr. Navinder Sawhney, call 760-743-0546 or visit ArchHealth.org.