Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia affecting millions of patients.  This is also expected to increase as our population ages. While many patients may have minimal or now symptoms, it can be a debilitating condition, causing varying symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness and fatigue. Atrial Fibrillation, despite severity of symptoms, can also increase the risk of stroke.

The good news: The Atrial Fibrillation Center at UR Medicine offers patients fresh hope. This center offers cutting-edge treatments—often unavailable elsewhere in our region—from doctors who are the Rochester area’s top specialists in atrial fibrillation. 

The program features:

1. Specialty trained and highly experienced electrophysiologists (or EP Cardiologists) and cardiac surgeons who specialize in treating atrial fibrillation and other heart rhythm disorders.
2. A comprehensive assessment of your atrial fibrillation with a focus on the best strategy to treat your atrial fibrillation and minimize your risk of stroke.
3. A wide range of both medical and procedural options for atrial fibrillation, including atrial fibrillation ablation, a procedure that can significantly limit and in some cases cure atrial fibrillation.
4. The only Rochester-area center involved in clinical trials exploring new treatments and optimizing outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation.
5. Three fully equipped labs for ablations, staffed by expert nurses and technicians.

Ablation Therapy

During ablation therapy, a small wire is passed through a leg blood vessel up to the heart, and focal areas of the heart are ablated (with either radiofrequency energy or freezing) to create scar tissue and isolate abnormal electrical signals. Ablation therapy is the only treatment that offers a potential cure for this arrhythmia.  No incisions are made and the patient will often go home within 24 hours.

MAZE Procedure

During the MAZE procedure a surgeon will use small incisions, radio waves, freezing, or microwave/ultrasound energy to create scar tissue. The scar tissue will block the abnormal electrical signals causing the arrhythmia.  This procedure is often done if needed after catheter ablation.

Find out more

If you’ve been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, talk to UR Medicine. Call for an appointment at (585) 275-4775 or (585) 338-2700 and ask for a visit with an Afib specialist.