Mark DeRosa will undergo a surgical procedure on Thursday to stop the irregular heartbeat that’s been affecting him on and off since his teen-age years.

Cubs physician Stephen Adams said DeRosa will have an EPS (electrophysiology study) performed on him Thursday by Dr. Alan Kadish, a cardiovascular electrophysiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The procedure involves putting a catheter in a vein in the groin which is then threaded into the heart to induce an irregular heartbeat (atrial arrthythmia).

“Depending on what they find with this diagnostic study, they will undergo what’s known as a radiofrequency catheter ablation, or RFCA,” Adams said. “And hopefully, depending upon what they find, it will be curative of his past problems of jumping into the (irregular heartbeat).”

The low-voltage, high-frequency electricity causes an abnormal heart rhythm and permanently burns off  small areas of tissue, preventing them from generating electrical impulses, and thus curing the individual. Adams said the procedure should take 1-2 hours, and that if all goes well, DeRosa will return to Phoenix by Sunday and could continue his baseball activities by the beginning of next week.

the peace of mind and health that he's looking for.