Dr. Michael R. Manogue is a board-certified clinical cardiac electrophysiologist who believes in the importance of patient education and good dialogue to empower patients and improve their quality of care. He works for Mission Health at Asheville Cardiology Associates. Mike lives on Woodvine Road with his wife, Erica, an obstetrician/gynecologist, daughters CeCe and Penelope and son Alfie.

As a medical student, Mike did a rotation in cardiology and found out that he was “quite enamored with the combination of diagnostic challenges and therapeutic options that cardiology offered.” This wasn’t a sudden aha moment for him, but a “slow steady reinforcement that cardiology was the place for me.”

Mike finds his work to be rewarding and meaningful. “I’ve been very fortunate to find a field that I really find infinitely fascinating. I think about this stuff all the time and I feel lucky to genuinely be excited for the upcoming workweek when I go to bed on Sunday night.” Having the opportunity to work with a team of colleagues [doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and EP lab technicians] to bring world-class cardiac care to a great community like Asheville is incredibly gratifying,” he says. “Having pride in my work is a big motivator for me, and something that requires constant energy devoted to maintaining high integrity and getting good, safe results for my patients.”

Cardiac electrophysiology treats patients who have heartbeat abnormalities. “Usually that means either a heartbeat that is too fast, too slow or irregular,” Mike says. “Some of these conditions are inherited and manifest earlier in life; others are acquired and may not show up until later in life. We do surgeries to implant both pacemakers and defibrillators, and also perform minimally invasive catheter ablation to eradicate irregular heartbeat problems.”

Asked about the stress of his role as a cardiophysiologist, Mike says, “In the forefront of my mind, I always try to remember the trust that my patient has placed in me. For me it might just be surgery on an ordinary Tuesday morning, but for that patient and their family and friends, it may be the most frightening and vulnerable thing they’ve been through in a long time. This respect drives what I think is a (mostly healthy) obsession with safety and best outcomes. If I know when I lie down to sleep at night that I’ve given my best effort and undistracted focus, then that’s all I can do. I find it useful to convert the stress into efforts to always improve what my best looks like.”

Mike finds creative ways to manage his time and integrate leisure activities and interests into his routine. “I’m a lifelong cyclist and love to ride bikes of all types,” he says. “Commuting to work by bike is one way that I’ve found to get some recreational activity into my schedule in an integrated way.” 

The field of electrophysiology is constantly evolving, and that’s exciting, Mike says. “I feel lucky to be working in a time when revolutionary technologies and techniques are coming down the pipeline every day.”