Cardiac ablation

Prior to your cardiac ablation procedure, you’ll receive personalized guidance to prepare. This may include:

• Coming in for a blood test, electrocardiogram (EKG) or other routine test
• Not eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before your procedure
• Any medications you may need to stop taking
• Answering your questions and concerns

The cardiac ablation procedure is done in our electrophysiology lab (cath lab) and usually takes two to six hours. On the day of the procedure, you’ll be admitted to the hospital. The skin on your groin, neck, shoulder or arm will be washed and may be shaved. To help you relax, we may give you a mild sedative through an intravenous (IV) line or as a pill.

We may give you general anesthesia so you’ll go into a deep sleep. Or we may apply a local anesthetic (numbing medication) in the areas where we insert the catheter.

Our specialists will insert the catheter into one or more veins or arteries in your groin, neck, shoulder or arm. Throughout the procedure, we’ll closely monitor your heart and vital signs.

In guiding the catheter toward your heart, we may use stereotaxis, which is a high-tech magnetic navigation system that precisely locates the diseased part of your heart and corrects your arrhythmia with tiny electrical pulses. Called robotic ablation, two large magnets are placed on either side of your body. After the catheter is inserted into your vein or artery, the stereotaxis software maps out a path to the exact heart tissue to be treated. The two magnets then guide the catheter along that path to reach its destination.

We may also use an electrophysiology study or 3D intracardiac ultrasound to locate the exact spot where the ablation should be done. This type of ultrasound creates a highly detailed 3D map of your heart and surrounding areas so we can precisely target the tissue that is causing your abnormal heartbeat.

After pinpointing the exact spot, we’ll apply an energy source such as radiofrequency waves (radiofrequency ablation) or extreme cold (cryoablation). This safely destroys only the problematic tissue without harming your healthy tissue.

You may sense an immediate improvement after recovering from sedation, and you’ll likely stay in the hospital for just a day or two. Following the procedure, you'll remain in bed for four to six hours to allow the insertion sites to heal. We’ll continually check your blood pressure and insertion sites and make sure you’re comfortable.

Before returning home, you may have a chest X-ray, echocardiogram and other tests. You’ll likely be able to return to your normal activities within a day or two. While heavy lifting and vigorous activity should be avoided during your recovery, you may be able to return to work within two days of having the procedure.

It’s common to find a small bruise or lump under your skin at the site where the catheter was inserted. This should go away within a few days.

You should contact your doctor if you:

• Run a fever
• Feel increased pain or numbness at the insertion site
• Notice the bruise or lump at the insertion site grows larger
• Feel chest pains or shortness of breath
• Feel heart rhythm problems return

To ensure your heart keeps a healthy rhythm, our electrophysiologist will want to see you for regular follow-up visits. We may ask you to wear a Holter monitor or event monitor for 24 hours or up to a few weeks, to record a continuous electrocardiogram (EKG) and capture any irregular heartbeats.