Lohit Garg, MBBS, grew curious about the workings of the heart from a young age. His interest was tinged with personal heartache as he watched several family members battle cardiac disease, especially his grandfather.
“He had a defibrillator, a heart attack, strokes … Just living with him as a child, I saw his struggles getting care for all of those things,” said Garg, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “I wanted my family members to receive high-level care, so I was always interested in cardiology.”
Garg, who is part of the CU Medicine electrophysiology program, also cultivated an interest in physics and electricity in high school. That’s what led him down the path of becoming a cardiac electrophysiologist, a specialty dedicated to the most complex arrhythmias.
Three years ago, Garg joined the CU Medicine electrophysiology team, one of the top programs in the nation and the largest in the Rocky Mountain region. The program is an atrial fibrillation Center of Excellence and has AFIB GOLD status from the American Heart Association. His interest in research keeps Garg at the leading edge of new treatments for these complex cardiac surgery procedures. “I’m lucky to work with an amazing team of 12 electrophysiologists,” he said. “It’s great.”
In the following Q&A, Garg explains the potential causes of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias and the surgical treatments available to patients. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.