What is Ablation?Fitness has long been a part of Darrell Witt’s life. He does push-ups and walks up to five miles a day at theconvention center where he works. So, he was surprised eight years ago when he experienced dizziness and chesttightness while climbing stairs.“At the time, I thought I was coming down with a chest cold, and so I went to my physician to complain of achest cold coming on.” –Darrell, PatientDarrell was diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, or A-fib.“I did not know what it was. I had never heard of an A-fib.” –Darrell, PatientAtrial fibrillation results from chaotic electrical signals in the atria – or upper chambers – that cause the heart to beatout of rhythm. For years Darrell took medications to control the condition.“As time progressed, we kept increasing the medications.” –Darrell, PatientBut eventually, they stopped working. For people like Darrell, for whom medications are ineffective or not the besttreatment, doctors may recommend a procedure called catheter ablation.During an ablation, thin, flexible wires called catheters are inserted into a vein and guided to the heart to make scarsin specific areas of the atria to block the electrical signals that are triggering the A-fib.“We’re going to let you sit down right here….”Darrell is about to undergo the procedure, which typically lasts four to six hours or longer.“Nice deep breath for me…”In most cases the ablation is done under general anesthesia, which means the patient is not awake. The surgicalteam numbs the area where the catheters are threaded to the heart - typically, through the upper thigh or neck.“What you can see is the heart with our catheters in it.” – Josh Lovelock, MD, Cardiac ElectophysiologistThe team uses x-ray and other imaging devices to make sure the catheters are placed in the proper location.“We now have special, we call them mapping systems, which allows us to recreate three dimensionally thatpart of the heart through somewhat like a GPS system, and then track our catheters in the heart.”- Josh Lovelock, MD, Cardiac ElectrophysiologistIn some cases, a therapy called radiofrequency ablation is used, in which energy similar to a microwave destroys tinyareas of tissue.Page 1 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA1025798 EN WhatIsAblation.pdf© The Wellness NetworkWhat is Ablation?Another approach, known as cryoablation, freezes tissue causing the problem. That’s the technique being usedin Darrell’s ablation.“This is our balloon tipped catheter, this is what we’ll use to do our freezing.”– Josh Lovelock, MD, Cardiac ElectrophysiologistYet another type of ablation, called AV node ablation may be recommended to control heart rate, though itdoesn’t stop a-fib. In this procedure, an area of the heart called the atrioventricular – or AV – node is destroyed.This prevents electrical signals in the atria from reaching the heart’s lower chambers, the ventricles. Apacemaker is then implanted to keep the heart beating regularly.Though ablation is safe, there’s a small risk of complications, including infection and damage to blood vessels.“The real risk is the risk where we put those IV’s in, so we ask them not to do any heavy lifting or squattingfor about a week after the procedure to minimize any risk of bleeding.”– Josh Lovelock, MD, Cardiac ElectrophysiologistFollowing an ablation procedure, you will be taken to recovery to be monitored and asked to lie still for a fewhours. Let your healthcare team know if you have any discomfort. Most people return home the same day orspend a night in the hospital. You may be prescribed medications to help keep your heart in normal rhythm …and blood-thinning drugs to reduce your risk of stroke.Darrell’s ablation was a success and restored his heart to normal rhythm. He’s now training for a mud run.“A mud run is typically through the woods, through creeks, and it’s typically a 5-k race. It’s something thatwe love to do as a family together.” – Darrell, PatientAnd now that he’s symptom-free, he’s aiming high.“By the time I reach 60 I want to set the national record for a mud run that is run nationwide.”- Darrell, PatientPage 2 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA1025798 EN WhatIsAblation.pdf© The Wellness Network
