Cardiac Ablation

Cardiac ablation is a procedure where catheters are placed in the heart and RF energy is delivered through the catheter. This neutralizes (ablates) the cardiac cells that are causing an arrhythmia by creating a block which the electrical impulses can no longer cross.

This restores the normal electrical pathways of your heart and allows it to beat normally again. The procedure is performed by a cardiac specialist called an Electrophysiologist (or EP). It is a widely used procedure, proven to be safe, effective, and long-lasting, although some arrhythmias are more easily treated with catheter ablation than others.

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Heart arrhythmias affect the way that the heart beats. "Arrhythmia" means "out of rhythm" and is another term for an irregular heartbeat or an "electrical" system disorder. Irregular heartbeats may cause health problems if they are not treated. Fortunately, there are safe and effective treatments for many arrhythmias.

Cardiac ablation is a procedure used to selectively neutralize (or ablate) specific cells in the heart that are causing an arrhythmia. This restores the normal electrical pathways of the heart and allows it to beat normally again. The procedure is performed by a cardiac specialist called an electrophysiologist or EP. A general practitioner or cardiologist may refer a patient with an arrhythmia to an EP, and cardiac ablation is one of several treatment options. An EP study is often performed in conjunction with a cardiac ablation procedure to effectively “map” the specific location of the arrhythmia that needs to be ablated.