Catheter Ablation

Since 1983, we have performed more than 2,500 ablations. Our group has more experience with this procedure than anyone else in the state of Wisconsin, and we also serve as a national leader in this area.

About Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

In the past, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) was treated with a lifelong regimen of drugs, surgery or, in some cases, both. Now, however, this arrhythmia can be permanently cured using radiofrequency catheter ablation. This procedure can be performed in the electrophysiolgy lab (instead of an operating room) while the patient is under light anesthesia or sedation.

Prior to the ablative procedure the patient receives a complete electrophysiologic evaluation. A special catheter is then inserted that will be used for locating the precise area causing the abnormal heart rhythm and for the ablation itself. Once the location is determined, the catheter is placed over the targeted area, destroying the tissue and restoring the normal rhythm. After the procedure, patients usually are discharged within one to two days and may resume full activities with no restrictions. Depending on the nature of the arrhythmia, the cure rate can be as high as 98%-99%.

About Your Ablation:
Your doctor has prescribed an ablation because you have an abnormal heart rhythm that requires treatment. An ablation is likely to control your abnormal rhythm, however, as no two patients (and no two arrhythmias) are alike, the specifics of your condition may not be covered here.

How Can an Ablation Help?
The normal heartbeat is caused by an electrical impulse, or signal, that follows a certain pathway in the heart muscle, similar to the wiring in a house. But some people have abnormal heartbeats caused by impulses that come from abnormal locations, or travel through an abnormal pathway.

Catheter ablation is recommended as treatment for those heart rhythm disorders in which:

• An abnormal pathway short-circuits the normal electrical system of the heart, causing a fast heartbeat.

• The heart can "race" for a few seconds to a few hours

• A person can have symptoms of palpitations, chest pounding, dizziness, lightheadedness, and even fainting.
  

Your Ablation: What to Expect
Your ablation will be performed in a special room called and electrophysiology (EP) lab, by doctors trained in the study and treatment of heart rhythms.

Long, flexible wires, called catheters, are inserted into the veins of the leg, arm and neck (and possibly into arteries in the leg) and positioned in the heart. Through these catheters, the doctor can record electrical signals that come from different parts of the heart – similar to an EKG, which records electrical activity from the body’s surface.

With a special catheter, the area of the abnormality is located inside the heart. The catheter is placed at this area and, by delivering either electrical current or heat from radiofrequency waves, the defective heart tissue is destroyed. This eliminates the source of the abnormal heart rhythm or extra pathways.

A catheter ablation can take several hours, and does involve some risks. However, the doctor recommending this procedure believes these risks are small compared to the potential benefit to you. Your doctor will explain these risks to you and answer any questions you may have.

Preparing For The Test:

• You will be admitted to the hospital the day before, or the morning of, your procedure. You may have blood tests, x-rays and an EKG (electrocardiogram). Your heart rhythm may be monitored throughout the time you are in the hospital.

• You will be asked not to eat or drink anything for six hours

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