PHYSICIAN’S SPOTLIGHT
Behind the White Coat: Dr. Firas El-Sabbagh, Electrophysiologist When Dr. Firas El-Sabbagh was in high school, he took an anatomy class. Little did he know that anatomy class would set the trajectory for his career. This anatomy class awoke an interest in the heart. This interest continued throughout pre-medicine years, then medical school. Cardiology was a clear choice but the next question was what to specialize in within cardiology. Dr. El-Sabbagh decided on electrophysiology, after he participated in research studies at Cleveland Clinic on atrial fibrillation. “Now, after practicing for more than seven years, I have no doubt I am in the right field,” says Dr. El-Sabbagh, “Electrophysiology has become a lifestyle for me and I enjoy every minute of it, whether in the lab utilizing the most advanced technology or in clinic, providing my patients the same care I would like my family to enjoy.”
Now, Dr. El-Sabbagh is part of FCCI’s team of electrophysiologists. An electrophysiologist is essentially an electrician for the heart. He offers a full range of devicebased therapies, including pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for heart failure management, as well as catheter ablation for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. “Wherever I practice, my staff knows my patients are
VIP in my mind, and they are treated like family,” says Dr. El-Sabbagh. This treatment has not gone unnoticed. In 2015, Dr. El-Sabbagh performed an ablation on a patient in Delaware. She did great till late 2018, when her atrial fibrillation came back. “I was in Kentucky by that time and she reached out to me and insisted to travel to me for another ablation!” says Dr. El-Sabbagh, “It is a moment like that, which reminds me of how gratifying my work is.”
Issue 7 2020 | THE HEART OF JACKSONVILLE
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