ARRHYTHMIA ABLATION

Advances in biomedical technology have significantly expanded the potential of invasive electrophysiology. Today a wide range of both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias can be effectively treated.

The invasive electrophysiologist, guided by electrocardiogram recordings and the patient’s medical history, as a first step attempts to confirm and / or diagnose the exact arrhythmological problem and to locate the exact points of interest in the myocardium.

This is conducted in the electrophysiological laboratory utilizing special hardware and software that monitor and record electrical potentials inside the heart. If required there is the option of electro-anatomical mapping, ie the creation in real time of a virtual three-dimensional map of the heart. For this purpose, special magnetic fields are used and the movement of catheters inside the heart is recognized. Advanced systems have the ability to combine these primary data with data from other cardiac imaging means, e.g. magnetic resonance.

Then, the invasive electrophysiologist utilizing ablation catheters under appropriate manipulations applies ablation treatments to certain parts of the myocardium in order to “interrupt” the circuit or “destroy” foci of arrhythmogenesis. This procedure, depending on the arrhythmia being treated, has variable success rates but also a different degree of risk. Your physician will inform you before and as soon as the diagnostic part of the operation is completed in view of the final treatment decisions.

The procedure involves puncture of the femoral vein and / or artery and advancement of catheters inside the heart. In most cases after an ablation procedure the patient is monitored for 24 hours and then returns to his daily routine.