You may be asked whether you (or inform your doctor if you): Your doctor will explain the risks and benefits of the procedure and you will be asked to sign a consent form. Blood and urine tests, an electrocardiogram, and an X-ray may be performed. A week or so before your procedure, you will probably be asked to visit your hospital’s pre-admission unit. Usually, the procedure is scheduled ahead of time.

In other words, it fixes the short-circuit. The scar tissue is incapable of initiating the electrical signal causing the arrhythmia. A tip on the ablation catheter will emit high-frequency electrical energy to destroy the abnormal tissue, resulting in a scar. Once the location of the abnormal heart tissue has been identified, a special ablation catheter will be positioned nearby. Catheters referred to as diagnostic catheters will be used to study the abnormal heart rhythm and determine where the problem is located. To perform the procedure, one or more catheters are inserted into the blood vessels and are threaded into the heart using a fluoroscope (a form of moving X-ray picture). This technique is used more commonly with newer technologies in large centres. It does not require a general anesthetic or stopping the heart. One such new procedure called Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation is now being conducted more often in Canada.Ĭatheter ablation is a non-surgical procedure that uses thin, flexible tubes called catheters to reach inside the heart. A number of different approaches have been developed to destroy the areas of malfunctioning heart tissue, including radiofrequency (RF) waves, microwave, laser or freezing. Newer technologies have been developed that make it possible to perform cardiac ablation without making incisions (cuts) inside the heart. Although there are various techniques, this is the most common technique for surgical ablation.

This procedure is also referred to as Atrial Fibrillation Ablation. The heart must be stopped and a heart-lung machine used for the Cox-Maze Procedure. This creates scar tissue that stops electrical activity from passing through the upper chambers. These incisions will then be sutured (sewn) together. Physicians will make a precise pattern of incisions (cuts) inside the upper chambers of the heart (the right and left atria). Others can be performed on a beating heart and do not require the use of a heart-lung machine (“off-pump” ablation). Some procedures require that the heart be stopped and the patient be put on a heart-lung machine (referred to as “on-pump” ablation). There are two main types of surgical ablation. If you smoke, you should stop at least two weeks before your surgery, as smoking can contribute to blood clotting and breathing problems. To reduce the risk of vomiting while asleep, you will be asked not to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. Surgical ablation is performed under general anesthetic – in other words, you will be asleep throughout the procedure. There are two main ways in which ablation can be performed: surgically or by catheter (nonsurgically).Īlthough less common, surgical ablation may be combined with other open-heart surgeries, such as bypass surgery or heart valve repair or replacement. Many abnormally fast heart rhythms are triggered by areas of abnormal heart tissue that cause the electrical system of the heart to “short-circuit.” By ablating or destroying these areas, the scar tissue that forms helps to prevent this short-circuit and allows for a return to a normal regular heart rhythm. The goal is to restore a regular rhythm to prevent these conditions from occurring. Why is it done?Ībnormal heart rhythms known as arrhythmias can cause: Ablation may be used to treat a heart that beats too quickly (more than 100 beats per minute, a condition known as tachycardia), or a heart that beats so it contracts in an uncoordinated fashion, known as fibrillation.

The pumping action of your heart is triggered by electrical impulses. Usually, the heart beats between 60 and 80 times a minute. Ablation is a procedure for restoring normal heart rhythm, particularly if the irregular rhythm has not responded to medication.

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