There are other treatment options for people with atrial fibrillation who find medications are not effective in controlling their heart fibrillation. One of these treatment options is catheter ablation, a nonsurgical procedure.
Catheter Ablation:
The procedure involves the insertion of flexible wires into the patient’s vein in the groin, and gradually threading up the wires to the heart. These wires have an electrode at their tip which sends out radio waves that generate heat. The heat generated by this electrode destroys the tissues in the patient’s heart that cause atrial fibrillation.
There are two classifications of catheter ablation procedures aim to treat an atrial condition or prevent its symptoms:
· Catheter ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation – includes focal, circumferential and pulmonary vein ablations. Focal or targeted ablation focuses its treatment on specific areas of the heart that are producing abnormal electrical impulses that causes atrial fibrillation. Circumferential ablation is designed to destroy the heart tissue that allows atrial fibrillation to progress. A physician may sometimes use both these ablations to cure atrial fibrillation.
Meanwhile, a pulmonary vein ablation blocks electrical impulses that originate from pulmonary vein. This procedure also prevents the atrial condition from happening.
· Catheter ablation for controlling atrial fibrillation symptoms – Nodal ablation is used to control atrial fibrillation symptoms. This procedure is used in cases that pulmonary vein or focal ablation failed to stop the cause of rapid and erratic heart rhythm. Nodal ablation involves the destruction of atrioventricular node to prevent it from sending electrical impulses to the heart’s lower chambers or ventricles. A patient who decided to have a nodal ablation may be required to use a pacemaker permanently to regulate his heart rhythm.
Nodal ablation works only to control a patient’s heart rate and reduce symptoms. It does not treat or prevent irregular heart rate. A patient is advised to take anticoagulants such as warfarin.
Catheter ablation may be an effective way to prevent or treat atrial fibrillation but it carries with some serious risks, including:
· Stroke — brought about by a sudden interruption of the flow of blood to the brain.
· Heart puncture
· Heart attack
· Risk for emergency heart surgery
· Pulmonary vein damage
· Pulmonary vein stenosis – a condition that involves the narrowing of pulmonary vein
· Bruising
· Leaking blood vessel
· Phrenic nerve injury – this condition can cause diaphragm paralysis
· Pericarditis – an inflammation of pericardium, the sac that covers and protects the heart.
· Cardiac tamponade – a condition that may need emergency heart surgery
· Sudden death