Ablation

Every beat of your heart is triggered by an electrical impulse. This impulse starts in one section of your heart and travels to the rest. But sometimes, this impulse travels the wrong way, which can cause heart rhythm problems like palpitations—also known as arrhythmia.

Sometimes, an arrhythmia can be treated with medication. Other times, it’s treated with catheter ablation. This is a procedure where an electrophysiologist creates tiny scars on a few cells in the heart to form a roadblock for the electricity, forcing the impulses to travel the correct path.

Catheter ablation can often cure an arrhythmia completely, so patients no longer have any symptoms or need medications.

At UR Medicine, catheter ablation is used to treat many rhythm problems. For instance, a condition called atrial fibrillation, which causes a fluttering sensation in the heart’s upper chambers. Another condition where this procedure is used is ventricular tachycardia, a rapid heartbeat in the lower chambers of the heart that can be life threatening.

How it works

If you receive a catheter ablation, it will be performed in the Electrophysiology Lab at UR Medicine.

• First, you'll receive a medication through an intravenous (IV) to sedate you.
• Next, a small incision is made in your groin area, and thin tubes called catheters are inserted through this incision.
• The catheters are threaded up to your heart, and your electrophysiologist will use them to detect faulty electrical pathways.
• Electrodes on the end of each catheter are used to create tiny scars on the wall of your heart to keep its electrical impulses traveling in the right direction.

This procedure typically takes 3-6 hours. Afterward, you’ll spend several hours in our recovery area. Most patients who have ablation procedures go home the same day but, some may need to stay overnight in the hospital.

Risks

Your doctor will talk with you at length about the risks of this procedure. However, some main risks include:

• Bleeding from the incision site
• Puncture of the heart
• Damage to blood vessels by catheter
• Blood clots
• Worsened arrhythmia symptoms

A seasoned team of experts who’ve led their field

At UR Medicine, our team of doctors led research that changed the way heart rhythm disorders are treated worldwide. We’re able to offer the most advanced, effective heart rhythm treatments. And, we perform more treatments for heart rhythm disorders than any other hospital in the Rochester area. In many cases, the treatments we provide aren’t available anywhere else in the region.
Staffed by nurses and technicians who work exclusively on heart rhythm disorders, UR Medicine Cardiac Care has three fully equipped labs for ablation and device implants. Our newest lab feature robot-aided navigation, which offers patients even greater precision, safety and versatility.

Find out more

For details on catheter ablation procedures at UR Medicine Cardiac Care, contact us at (585) 275-4775.