AB Ablation
Ablation, also known as catheter ablation, is a treatment that aims to correct certain types of abnormal heart rhythms by blocking electrical pathways in the heart.
It uses either heat (radiofrequency ablation) or freezing (cryoablation) on the area of your heart that’s causing the abnormal heart rhythm (or arrhythmia). This treatment creates scar tissue which:
breaks abnormal circuits in the heart
destroys areas of the heart muscle which are triggering arrhythmias.
An ablation is started using the same technique as an electrophysiology (EP) study and is often carried out at the same time. The EP study can discover if you have extra electrical pathways in your heart that could be causing your abnormal heart rhythm.
How it’s works
You’ll be given a local anaesthetic and sedation to help ease any discomfort you may feel during the procedure. However, the process may take a few hours so it can still be an uncomfortable experience as you may need to lie flat and keep still.
First, thin, flexible tubes called catheters are placed into one of your veins or arteries, in your groin or wrist. The catheters are gently moved into the correct position in your heart.
If you haven’t already had an EP study, your cardiologist will do this to pinpoint the exact area of your heart where the problem is.
Radiofrequency energy or freezing is then used to destroy the affected area inside your heart that’s causing the abnormal heart rhythm. This process will help block the abnormal electrical impulses in that part of your heart.