Private Heart Rhythm Clinic for Arrhythmia Assessment
My clinic is variously called the Heart Rhythm Clinic, Electrophysiology Clinic, EP Clinic or Arrhythmia Clinic.
What is arrhythmia?
Arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm which occurs when the electrical signals responsible for coordinating your heartbeats don’t work properly. This causes your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. An arrhythmia can impact how well your lungs, brain and other organs function. If you collapse or experience severe symptoms, it could be more dangerous. For ongoing symptoms which could be linked to your heart rhythm, seeking guidance, diagnoses, tests, and treatment options from an arrhythmia clinic is often the best option.
Services
Common symptoms assessed at my heart rhythm clinic
Palpitations
A palpitation is the feeling of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heartbeat. Although palpitations are quite alarming, they are also common and usually harmless, resolving on their own. Often, palpitations can be caused simply by a lack of sleep, excessive exercise, caffeine, alcohol or drug usage, and stress. However, if you are experiencing frequent palpitations which worsen or are accompanied by shortness of breath and chest pain, faintness or severe dizziness, it is important to seek immediate medical care.
Missed heartbeats
The sensation of skipped heartbeats is a form of a palpitation. Also known as an ectopic beat, it briefly interrupts your heart's normal rhythm. It can feel like a fluttering, thumping or pounding sensation in your chest, neck or throat, a flip-flopping sensation or a brief pulsing pause followed by a harder beat.
Fainting
Fainting due to arrhythmia occurs when a very fast or absent heartbeat causes the heart to pump inefficiently, which leads to a temporary yet sudden drop in blood flow and oxygen. It’s more common for low blood pressure to cause faints, but those due to arrhythmia are usually more dangerous.
Syncope
This is a brief loss of consciousness or fainting due to your heart beating too fast or too slow, and may indicate a serious underlying arrhythmia. It is a common reason for patients to be referred to a heart rhythm specialist for assessment in a dedicated heart rhythm clinic.
Loss of consciousness
While experiencing a very fast or absent heartbeat, your blood flow to the brain becomes temporarily reduced, which can lead to a loss of consciousness. Passing out from an arrhythmia attack can be dangerous, and immediate medical intervention is required, followed by guidance from a heart rhythm specialist is recommended..
Loss of fitness
Tiring quickly during exercise can be a common symptom of an underlying arrhythmia. When your heart beats too fast, too slow or irregularly, it may not pump efficiently enough to support physical activity.
Breathlessness
An irregular heartbeat can cause fluid to back up in the lungs, which can culminate in a feeling of breathlessness. Whether an arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation or a slow heart rhythm, is contributing to your shortness of breath can be diagnosed by a heart rhythm specialist at an arrhythmia clinic.
Fast heart rate
Tachycardia occurs when your heart beats more than 100 times per minute at rest. This can happen due to faulty electrical signals, which disrupt the heart's natural rhythm, preventing it from pumping oxygen and blood efficiently.
Assessment after cardiac arrest
Experiencing a cardiac arrest or a combination of the above symptoms can be a serious cause of concern requiring specialist evaluation. You can consult a private heart rhythm specialist at an arrhythmia clinic for a detailed assessment, assessing future risk and determining the most appropriate investigation and treatment methods. This is often the quickest way to get to the cause of your problem and potential treatment.
What to expect on your visit to a Heart Rhythm Clinic:
Visiting a heart rhythm clinic provides a clear and structured assessment of your symptoms. During an appointment with a private heart rhythm specialist, you will undergo a review of your medical history and targeted diagnostic tests to identify any underlying arrhythmia.
Review Medical History
During your first consultation at my heart rhythm clinic, I will take a detailed look at your medical history. We will discuss any arrhythmia symptoms you’ve been experiencing, such as fainting episodes, irregular heartbeat and palpitations, to understand your concerns. I encourage you to prepare any questions or concerns you wish to raise, as this helps ensure your visit to the heart rhythm clinic addresses everything that matters to you.
Diagnostic Heart Rhythm Tests
After your initial consultation, you may undergo several diagnostic heart rhythm tests to help identify the cause of your symptoms. This could include an electrocardiogram (ECG) test, which records the electrical activity of your heart, including rate and rhythm. Alternatively, you may be more suited to a Holter monitor, which records your heart’s activity continuously over 24 to 48 hours. In some cases, an event monitor may be used to capture irregular rhythms that occur less frequently.
Occasionally, an echocardiogram is arranged at a later stage to provide an ultrasound image of your heart, allowing us to examine its structure and function more closely.
Outcome of your visit to the heart rhythm clinic
The outcome of your visit will depend on the findings from your heart rhythm tests. Once we have reviewed your results, I will discuss the next steps with you. For some individuals, simple adjustments to medication or lifestyle may be sufficient to manage their arrhythmia symptoms. to manage their, while others may require further intervention.
Statistically, around one in eight patients referred to a heart rhythm clinic will need a procedure. These procedures can range from cardioversion, used to restore a normal heart rhythm, to catheter ablation, which targets and eliminates abnormal heart rhythm tissue, or the implantation of devices such as pacemakers.
Ultimately, your visit to the heart rhythm clinic is about gaining a comprehensive understanding of your heart rhythm and any underlying arrhythmia which may be present. By combining your test results with a detailed clinical assessment, we can determine the most effective way to manage or treat heart rhythm problems. As a private heart rhythm specialist, my priority is to guide and support you throughout this process, ensuring you receive the best possible care for your heart health.
Conditions treated
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial flutter
Atrial tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia
Ectopic beats
Ventricular tachycardia
Slow heart rate
Bradycardia
Risk assessment for cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death
Prevention of cardiac arrest
Tests offered at my heart rhythm clinic
Heart Rhythm Monitoring
Continuous ambulatory ECG (up to 72 hours)
Implantable Loop Recorder Insertion
Event monitoring
Electrophysiology Studies and Mapping
Diagnostic intracardiac electrophysiological study
Characterisation of intracardiac conduction
Anti-arrhythmic drug testing via programmed stimulation
Catheter Ablation Procedures
AV nodal re‑entry tachycardia ablation
Atrial flutter ablation
Atrial tachycardia ablation
Ventricular arrhythmia ablation
Pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation (RFA/CRYO/Laser)
Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Accessory pathway ablation
Wolff Parkinson White ablation
Pacemakers and Cardiac Devices
Single‑chamber pacemaker implantation
Dual‑chamber pacemaker implantation
Conduction system pacemaker implantation
Biventricular pacemaker implantation
ICD implantation (single, dual, biventricular, subcutaneous)
CRT‑D implantation
Generator replacement (pacemaker or ICD)
Removal of pacing system (generator only or full system including leads)
Lead replacement
Temporary pacing electrode insertion
Cardioversion
External cardioversion
Visit Dr Skene, your heart rhythm specialist
Experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms can be unsettling. Visiting my heart rhythm clinic can help you find answers and feel more supported through expert evaluation of palpitations, fainting or ectopic beats and more.
As a leading heart rhythm specialist, I offer comprehensive diagnostics and advanced treatment options within a private heart rhythm clinic. Your heart rhythm deserves specialist attention.
Book your assessment online to get clarity on your diagnosis and available treatment options.