Merkezi Klinika (MK) Hospital is located in the center of Baku, the capital of the Azerbaijan Republic. MK Heart Center has pioneered the development of cardiovascular surgery, interventional cardiology and EP in their country, and now has extensive expertise in all areas of cardiovascular medicine. It is equipped with the latest technology and offers a full range of state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic cardiovascular services.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique used to obtain high-quality images of the human body. In the last few years, MRI has become the imaging modality of choice across a broad range of indications. Compared with other techniques such as computer tomography (CT) or x-rays, MRI is characterized by having much better contrast between different soft tissues of the body. Furthermore, MRI has no associated health risks compared to x-ray or other ionizing radiation.

This month we speak with Jagmeet P. Singh, MD, DPhil, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center.

Tell us about your medical background and how you came to work in the field of electrophysiology. What interested you about this field?

My journey so far has zigzagged across 3 continents. I started out in India, where I received my basic medical education and initial training in medicine and cardiology.

Atrial fibrillation is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia in clinical medicine. The presence of atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of stroke, and patients may complain of palpitations, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Buoyed by the success of ablation for paroxysmal supraventricular arrhythmias and atrial flutter, over the last 15 years investigators from around the world have focused on developing catheter-based ablation techniques for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.