Ablation Cardiac Procedure, Catheter Ablation, Cardiac Arrhythmias, New York, NY

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Cardiology

Catheter Ablation for Cardiac Arrhythmias

Physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian can often cure arrhythmias by interrupting the path of the electrical impulses that produce them using a technique called catheter ablation.

As part of a non-surgical catheter procedure, our cardiologists can often treat both supraventricular arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation) and ventricular arrhythmias .

Performed in a cardiac electrophysiology laboratory, catheter ablation causes less discomfort and results in faster recovery times than open-heart surgery.

Catheter ablation procedures are highly effective, with success rates often greater than 90% for most arrhythmias. These procedures are low risk, and typically require less than a 24-hour hospital stay.

What is Catheter Ablation?

In catheter ablation, electrode catheters are inserted through veins and guided to various positions inside the heart.

Using these catheters, radiofrequency energy or freezing temperature is applied to the abnormal electrical pathway in the heart tissue. This interrupts the path of the abnormal electrical impulses, and cures the arrhythmia.

In some ablation procedures, in addition to using X-ray equipment to guide the catheter, physicians may also use miniaturized ultrasound equipment, so that an echocardiogram can be obtained from a catheter within the heart to provide a more complete and precise picture of the cardiac anatomy.

Additionally, NewYork-Presbyterian cardiologists often use computerized 3-dimensional mapping systems to help guide the procedure and can integrate data obtained during catheter ablation with data from pre-procedural CT scans or MRI images.

What is a Cardiac Arrhythmia?

An abnormal area of heart tissue can, in some cases, produce irregularities in the transmission of electrical impulses in the heart. This results in a cardiac arrhythmia — an abnormal, often rapid or irregular heartbeat.

As a result of a cardiac arrhythmia, the heart may not able to pump blood normally. Depending on the type of arrhythmia, this situation can lead to a variety of symptoms, including congestive heart failure, stroke, or even sudden cardiac death.

Last Modified: 05/26/2009