Catheter Ablation (Cardiac Ablation)
Although the success of cardiac ablation has been proven, the procedure is technically challenging, and the field is a hotbed of innovation - Tracy Schaaf
image by: Get Smart About AFib
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Catheter Ablation: A Life-Changing Procedure for Many
Following a successful ablation procedure, patients who previously could not exercise due to a heart arrhythmia are able to exercise to any level, including running a marathon. Patients who have dealt with a heart arrhythmia for decades have the procedure and then wonder, “Why didn’t I do this 20 years ago?” Some older patients may develop an arrhythmia but dismiss their symptoms as simply signs of getting older – greater fatigue, shortness of breath, or a fluttering feeling in their chest. Once treated, these patients are back to their normal active selves quickly. Some patients with heart arrhythmias have been told the heart-pounding feeling is anxiety or is “just in their head.” For patients…
Resources
'In MedTech History' - Cardiac Ablation
Thanks to pioneering work in cardiac ablation by Melvin Scheinman, MD, and others... the need for open-heart surgery or long-term drug therapy for hundreds of thousands of patients with AF or other serious heart rhythm disturbances has been nearly eliminated.
SVT and Me (Part 3)
We’ll start here. Because really, what is cardiac ablation? Well, it’s when electrophysiologist (remember, an electrophysiologist is a cardiologist that specializes in the treatment of the electricity of the heart) go into the heart with a cardiac catheter (thin flexible tube) and repair or destroy parts of the heart tissues responsible for the arrythmias.
What Is a Cardiac Ablation?
There are two main types of cardiac ablation—and each is based on the type of energy used to destroy the heart tissue that's causing your arrhythmia. Studies have shown that the two options have similar success rates.
Pulsed Field Ablation: A New Ablation Method
Recent studies indicate that a new technology called pulsed field ablation (PFA) can mitigate many of the above-mentioned problem areas. PFA does not use thermal methods; rather, it uses an electrical field, which is applied to tissue in rapid bursts to cause irreversible electroporation (IRE)
Ablation for Arrhythmias
Catheter ablation is a procedure that uses radiofrequency energy (similar to microwave heat) to destroy a small area of heart tissue that is causing rapid and irregular heartbeats. Destroying this tissue helps restore your heart’s regular rhythm. Catheter ablation destroys the abnormal tissue without damaging the rest of the heart. The procedure is also called radiofrequency ablation.
Frequently Asked Questions: Catheter Ablation
I've heard a lot about catheter ablation — how do I know if this treatment is right for me?
How many times can you have a catheter ablation?
There isn’t a limit on the number of times a patient can have a catheter ablation. A patient can ask for a catheter ablation as many times as they want. Of course, we wouldn't recommend to keep having a catheter ablation again and again, if it’s not succeeding. On average, we'll probably have - for a specific arrhythmia - two attempts (maybe a third sometimes)...
Making Friends with Fear: My SVT Heart Ablation Surgery
My birth experience is what finally gave me the courage to do the heart ablation surgery. It’s now August 2018, and it’s been a week since the surgery. Waiting in anticipation for this heart surgery – a procedure where I’d have to be awake, and one that could leave me with a pacemaker at 36 years old – was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.
Study Proves Catheter Ablation Safe For Patients
A recent study published in Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology (PACE) determined that the use of catheter ablation to treat supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is not detrimental to patients. This data refutes previous evidence which suggested a high incidence of injury to a patient's cardiac nerves, possibly resulting in accelerated heart rates following the procedure.
Catheter Ablation: A Life-Changing Procedure for Many
Ablation is effective at treating the vast majority of arrhythmias, ranging from atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation to premature ventricular contractions and ventricular tachycardia.
4 common arrhythmias treated with catheter ablation
Here, leading London cardiologist Dr Syed Ahsan, a London catheter ablation specialist, outlines four common heart rhythm disorders that we can treat with cardiac ablation:
Heart.org
This nonsurgical procedure is used to treat some types of rapid heart beating, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and atrial tachycardia. It's most often used to treat supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
StatPearls
Catheter ablation is a rapidly evolving field and has proven to be a valid solution for many patients suffering from recurrent arrhythmias. Even though the success of catheter ablation is high for many atrial arrhythmias, the procedure is also associated with a fair number of serious complications that include death, pulmonary vein stenosis, esophageal perforation, heart block requiring a pacemaker, stroke, phrenic nerve injury, and vascular access complications. It is important to educate patients on the potential complications before they decide to move forward with the procedure.
UpToDate
Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a procedure that is performed to correct a disturbance in heart rhythm. A brief review of how a normal heart rhythm occurs and a description of some of the rhythm problems that are treated with this procedure will help in the understanding of radiofrequency catheter ablation.
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