Cardiac Ablation

Cardiac ablation is a procedure that's used to correct cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problems).

When heart beats, the electrical impulses that cause it to contract must follow a precise pathway through your heart. Any interruption in these impulses can cause an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), which can sometimes be treated with cardiac ablation.

Cardiac ablation works by scarring or destroying tissue in heart that triggers or sustains an abnormal heart rhythm. In some cases, cardiac ablation prevents abnormal electrical signals from entering the heart and, thus, stops the arrhythmia.

Ablation isn't usually your first treatment option. Ablation is a treatment option for people who:

• Tried medications to treat an arrhythmia without success
• Had serious side effects from medications to treat arrhythmias
• Have certain types of arrhythmias that respond well to ablation, such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and supraventricular tachycardia
• Have a high risk of complications from their arrhythmias, such as sudden cardiac arrest

Cardiac ablation usually uses long, flexible tubes (catheters) inserted through a vein or artery in your groin and threaded to your heart to deliver energy in the form of heat or extreme cold to modify the tissues in heart that cause an arrhythmia.

Cardiac ablation is sometimes done through open-heart surgery, but it's often done using catheters, making the procedure less invasive and shortening recovery times.

Cardiac Ablation Types

• Atrial flutter ablation
• Pulmonary vein isolation
• SVT ablation
• Ventricular tachycardia ablation