Ablation Therapy

Ablation therapy is a treatment used for abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). It is performed either surgically or non-surgically to re-establish a regular heart rhythm as well as helping to prevent blood clots or strokes. There are different types of ablation therapy that may be performed, and which one will depend on the type of arrhythmia as well as the presence of any other heart disease.

You might need this sort of therapy for a number of reasons. It is used to treat: Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter; AV Nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), and Accessory pathways Ventricular tachycardia

What to expect of the procedure

When partaking in ablation therapy the procedure takes place in a special room known as the electrophysiology (EP) lab. You may remain awake during the procedure, but this depends on the type of ablation. Several catheters will be inserted into large blood vessels in order to monitor your heart after which the doctor will begin the ablation procedure.

The procedure involves the use of a pacemaker to increase your heart rate while the doctor will determine which areas of your heart the arrhythmias are coming from by moving the catheters. If you are awake you should report any feelings and symptoms to the nurse, especially if you begin to feel any pain (though a degree of discomfort is normal).

During the process the doctor will create a circular scar on the area of the atria that connects to the pulmonary vein to prevent arrhythmias from occurring, a process that is repeated on all pulmonary veins and sometimes on other parts of the heart. In total the procedure takes between four to eight hours.

After the procedure results will be discussed and you will continue to be monitored in hospital. In most cases you will be able to leave the following day. Healing will take a further six to eight weeks.