Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Can Restore Your Heart’s Rhythm

Ablation is a safe and effective treatment for many kinds of heart rhythm problems. Often, heart doctors may recommend catheter ablation for:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib): Irregular or quivering heartbeat in the heart’s atria (upper chambers)
• Atrial flutter (form of atrial fibrillation): Heart rhythm disorder where the atria beat too quickly
• Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), including Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: Abnormally fast heartbeat in the heart’s upper chambers. People are often born with these heart rhythm abnormalities.
• Ventricular tachycardia (VT): Fast heartbeat from the ventricles - the heart’s lower chambers

Your cardiologist may suggest heart ablation if you:

• Have tried arrhythmia medicines, but they didn’t work or caused side effects
• Are at high risk for arrhythmia-related problems such as stroke or sudden cardiac arrest
• Have conditions for which heart ablation works well

Cardiac ablation is performed in our electrophysiology lab. The Arrhythmia Center at Missouri Baptist uses the latest technology, including magnetic-guided, robot-assisted techniques to treat arrhythmias.

In most cases, your heart team gives you general anesthesia, so you are asleep and lie perfectly still for the procedure. The procedure usually takes one to three hours. The length depends on the type of arrhythmia and its location.

During the procedure:

1. IVs are placed in the large veins, sometimes on the left and right side, after the groin is numbed and you are asleep.
2. These IVs are used to guide catheters to your heart. All of the veins from the legs lead to the heart, and the catheters follow this pathway.
3. Once in the heart, the catheters are used to determine the exact nature of the rhythm problem.
4. The catheter ablation is performed with the goal of treating the diseased heart tissue and relieving the rhythm problem. Occasionally, magnetic robot-assisted ablation treatments are used.
5. Following the treatment, your heart is stimulated to confirm there are not any additional rhythm disturbances.
6. At the end of the procedure, the catheters are removed, the veins are closed, and you will be placed on bed rest for a period of time to let the IV sites heal.

Heart rhythm problems can lead to heart failure, stroke or cardiac arrest. Rhythm problems can interrupt blood flow, making dangerous blood clots more likely. By correcting your heart rhythm, catheter ablation can reduce your risk of these problems.

Catheter ablation provides a minimally invasive option to treat heart rhythm problems. Our doctors use radiofrequency ablation (heat energy) or cryoablation (cold energy) to isolate or neutralize diseased heart tissue that is responsible for rhythm problems.

After a catheter-based procedure, people recover faster and with less pain than they would from open-heart surgery.

Before ablation for AFib or another arrhythmia, your heart team assesses your health. You may have tests including:

• Blood tests: Blood work measures the types and number of blood cells to check for signs of infection. They also show your blood’s ability to clot.
• Cardiac CT or cardiac MRI: These specialized heart imaging tests provide pictures of your heart and blood vessels. They help your doctor plan the EP ablation procedure.
• Chest X-ray: Your doctor can look at these images to see your chest structures, including heart and lungs, and major blood vessels.
• Echocardiography (echo): This ultrasound test uses sound waves to provide images of your heart.

At Missouri Baptist Medical Center, you’ll rest for 2-4 hours after a cardiac ablation procedure, in the care of our experienced heart team. Depending on your other health needs, you may stay in the hospital overnight or go home the same day. If you go home the same day, you’ll need an adult to drive you home and stay with you.

For several days, you may feel tired and a bit sore. Your heartbeat may still feel irregular at times as your heart heals. We’re here for you any time you have questions or concerns about your care. Our team of doctors and nurses can explain what you should expect and when you should notice results.

You can go back to work and your usual activities, sometimes as early as 3-7 days. For some rhythm problems, your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning medications for you to take for several months. These medicines reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause stroke or heart attack as you heal.

At MoBap, an electrophysiologist performs the heart ablation procedure. You may also receive care from cardiologists, heart surgeons and interventional cardiologists (heart doctors who perform minimally invasive treatments). To schedule an appointment with a MoBap heart specialist, call 314-934-3059 or fill out a contact form.

Meet our team of electrophysiologists.