Riverside Healthcare | The Journey | Summer 2021

10 RiversideHealthcare.org Make healthy hearts a family matter On a list of the greatest gifts you could give your kids, a healthy heart would be near the top. After all, heart disease is the nation’s No. 1 killer. And it often starts in childhood. Helping your kids develop lifelong heart-healthy habits, especially those centered around eating well and being active, is one way to give that gift. Use these tips to make heart health a family affair: Electrophysiology If your heart skips a beat, it might not mean love at first sight. It can signal a serious cardiac issue. Fortunately, many tests can pinpoint the problem. One of the most common is an electrophysiology study (EPS). It can diagnose irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias. Here’s what you should know. Q Why do irregular heartbeats matter? A: “If your heart beats too fast, it might not be able to pump blood effectively,” says Abhimanyu Beri, MD, at Riverside Heart & Vascular Institute. Q&A