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Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
Yale Physicians Building
800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
New Haven, CT 06519
1 of 7
  • Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
    Yale Physicians Building
    800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
    New Haven, CT 06519
  • Yale Cardiology
    Yale New Haven Hospital
    20 York Street
    New Haven, CT 06510
  • Yale Heart & Vascular Center
    500 West Putnam Avenue
    Greenwich, CT 06830
  • Greenwich Fertility
    115 Main Street
    Tuckahoe, NY 10707
  • new yoooooooooork!
    Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative
    276 5th Avenue, Wing wing 1
    New York, NY 10001
  • Delaware State University Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
    3931 Kirkwood Highway, Ste 4
    Wilmington, DE 19808
  • Dana Clinic Building
    789 Howard Avenue
    New Haven, CT 06519

Joseph Akar, MD, PhD

Telehealth is available
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Patient type treated
Child, Adult
Accepting new patients
Yes
Referral required
From patients or physicians
Board Certified in
Cardiovascular Disease, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology , and Internal Medicine

Biography

Joseph Akar, MD, PhD, is director of Yale Medicine’s Electrophysiology and Cardiac Arrhythmia Program. As an electrophysiologist, he treats the “electrical wiring” of the heart, which he describes as being not unlike the wiring in a house. The system must work properly, but the electricity in one of the chambers could get disrupted, he says. Heartbeat sequences that are too fast or slow—or otherwise irregular—can lead to serious problems, including stroke and sudden cardiac death. “It’s very important for the heart to have a uniform and consistent rhythm,” he says.

Dr. Akar treats a variety of issues that can develop in people of all ages, including those with otherwise healthy hearts. He uses techniques such as catheter ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that deliberately cauterizes the electrical short circuits in order to even out erratic rhythms, or arrhythmias. This technique has emerged as a treatment for complex problems such as refractory atrial fibrillation, which is the most common arrhythmia in humans, or ventricular tachycardia which is a major cause of sudden cardiac death. “The advent of ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia has really revolutionized the field,” Dr. Akar says.

He also has expertise in performing these ablations without fluoroscopy, an X-ray technique that can involve high radiation doses.

Patients who have heart rhythm problems should not hesitate to seek treatment, Dr. Akar says. “We’ve done a lot of work at Yale in refining our technology and techniques for the management of complex arrhythmias,” he says. “It’s been nothing but revolutionary as far as our ability to restore normal rhythms in cases that, in the past, we would never have dreamed that we would be able to.”

Titles

  • Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
  • Director, Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, Internal Medicine
  • Director, Complex Ablation Program

Education & Training

  • Fellow
    University of Virginia (2004)
  • PhD
    University of Virginia (2004)
  • Fellow
    University of Virginia (2002)
  • Resident
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1998)
  • MD
    University of Pittsburgh (1995)

Languages Spoken

  • العربية (Arabic)
  • English
  • Français (French)

Additional Information

Locations
1
Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
Yale Physicians Building
800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
New Haven, CT 06519
1 of 7
  • Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
    Yale Physicians Building
    800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
    New Haven, CT 06519
  • Yale Cardiology
    Yale New Haven Hospital
    20 York Street
    New Haven, CT 06510
  • Yale Heart & Vascular Center
    500 West Putnam Avenue
    Greenwich, CT 06830
  • Greenwich Fertility
    115 Main Street
    Tuckahoe, NY 10707
  • new yoooooooooork!
    Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative
    276 5th Avenue, Wing wing 1
    New York, NY 10001
  • Delaware State University Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
    3931 Kirkwood Highway, Ste 4
    Wilmington, DE 19808
  • Dana Clinic Building
    789 Howard Avenue
    New Haven, CT 06519

Biography

Joseph Akar, MD, PhD, is director of Yale Medicine’s Electrophysiology and Cardiac Arrhythmia Program. As an electrophysiologist, he treats the “electrical wiring” of the heart, which he describes as being not unlike the wiring in a house. The system must work properly, but the electricity in one of the chambers could get disrupted, he says. Heartbeat sequences that are too fast or slow—or otherwise irregular—can lead to serious problems, including stroke and sudden cardiac death. “It’s very important for the heart to have a uniform and consistent rhythm,” he says.

Dr. Akar treats a variety of issues that can develop in people of all ages, including those with otherwise healthy hearts. He uses techniques such as catheter ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that deliberately cauterizes the electrical short circuits in order to even out erratic rhythms, or arrhythmias. This technique has emerged as a treatment for complex problems such as refractory atrial fibrillation, which is the most common arrhythmia in humans, or ventricular tachycardia which is a major cause of sudden cardiac death. “The advent of ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia has really revolutionized the field,” Dr. Akar says.

He also has expertise in performing these ablations without fluoroscopy, an X-ray technique that can involve high radiation doses.

Patients who have heart rhythm problems should not hesitate to seek treatment, Dr. Akar says. “We’ve done a lot of work at Yale in refining our technology and techniques for the management of complex arrhythmias,” he says. “It’s been nothing but revolutionary as far as our ability to restore normal rhythms in cases that, in the past, we would never have dreamed that we would be able to.”

Titles

  • Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
  • Director, Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, Internal Medicine
  • Director, Complex Ablation Program

Education & Training

  • Fellow
    University of Virginia (2004)
  • PhD
    University of Virginia (2004)
  • Fellow
    University of Virginia (2002)
  • Resident
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1998)
  • MD
    University of Pittsburgh (1995)

Languages Spoken

  • العربية (Arabic)
  • English
  • Français (French)

Additional Information

Locations
1
Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
Yale Physicians Building
800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
New Haven, CT 06519
1 of 7
  • Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
    Yale Physicians Building
    800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
    New Haven, CT 06519
  • Yale Cardiology
    Yale New Haven Hospital
    20 York Street
    New Haven, CT 06510
  • Yale Heart & Vascular Center
    500 West Putnam Avenue
    Greenwich, CT 06830
  • Greenwich Fertility
    115 Main Street
    Tuckahoe, NY 10707
  • new yoooooooooork!
    Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative
    276 5th Avenue, Wing wing 1
    New York, NY 10001
  • Delaware State University Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
    3931 Kirkwood Highway, Ste 4
    Wilmington, DE 19808
  • Dana Clinic Building
    789 Howard Avenue
    New Haven, CT 06519
1
Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
Yale Physicians Building
800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
New Haven, CT 06519
1 of 7
  • Yale Cardiac Electrophysiology
    Yale Physicians Building
    800 Howard Avenue, Fl 2
    New Haven, CT 06519
  • Yale Cardiology
    Yale New Haven Hospital
    20 York Street
    New Haven, CT 06510
  • Yale Heart & Vascular Center
    500 West Putnam Avenue
    Greenwich, CT 06830
  • Greenwich Fertility
    115 Main Street
    Tuckahoe, NY 10707
  • new yoooooooooork!
    Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative
    276 5th Avenue, Wing wing 1
    New York, NY 10001
  • Delaware State University Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
    3931 Kirkwood Highway, Ste 4
    Wilmington, DE 19808
  • Dana Clinic Building
    789 Howard Avenue
    New Haven, CT 06519