Merit Health Wesley Launches Cardiac Electrophysiology Program
4/11/2022
Hattiesburg, MS - Merit Health Wesley is celebrating the recent launch of their cardiac electrophysiology (EP) program. This program is a key component of the hospital’s recent expansion of cardiovascular services.
“Bringing enhanced cardiac care to our patients is an exciting moment,” says Chief Executive Officer Matthew Banks. “The addition of Ronald Jones, M.D. and EP services at Merit Health Wesley complements our top-notch interventional cardiology and cardiovascular surgery teams to provide advanced cardiac care for our patients.”
Cardiac electrophysiology is a specialized branch of cardiology that treats arrhythmias of the heart. In normal heart tissue, special cells exist that create and send electrical impulses throughout the heart in specific patterns, telling the muscle tissue to contract. These impulses create the body’s heart rate. However, in those with cardiac rhythm disorders, or arrhythmias, the electrical impulses are not sent at predictable intervals, and the heart cannot beat in a normal and efficient manner.
Cardiac electrophysiology studies are minimally invasive procedures that use catheters to go into the heart and locate the exact tissues sending the incorrect electrical impulses. If the correct tissues can be located, the EP cardiologist can then treat the arrhythmia in the same procedure by performing a cardiac ablation.
“We are seeing a rise in the prevalence of arrhythmias among our patients, especially after COVID,” says Ronald Jones, M.D. “Our goal is to provide better access to this type of care, allowing patients to schedule appointments sooner and closer to home.”
Jones began his medical training through the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He then completed his residency in internal medicine with the Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and his cardiology fellowship with the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Brooke Army Medical Center. Jones completed his training with an extended fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology with the Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Stanford, California.
The team at Merit Health Wesley underwent extensive preparation to expand their services to include cardiac electrophysiology. In 2021, the hospital invested more than 1.6 million in enhancements to their catheterization lab allowing our cardiologists to offer more treatment options.
Jones joins Interventional Cardiologists F. Alan Covin, M.D., Karl Duncan, M.D., and Kurt Duncan, M.D., as well as Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon Gregory Groglio, M.D. To learn more about atrial fibrillation or request an appointment with a cardiologist, visit MeritHealthWesley.com/cardiac-care.
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