Catheter ablation is a non-surgical technique that disrupts (destroys) parts of the abnormal electrical pathway that is causing your arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm).

Heart Medication:
It is important for patients to stop taking all of the medications which are used to suppress the abnormal heart rhythm before the ablation procedure. This is because those medications may inhibit electrical activity of the abnormal area and make it difficult for us to precisely locate that region.
Most heart rhythm medications should be stopped approximately five days before the procedure. Some medications require a longer time to be cleared from the system while other medicines are eliminated from your body more rapidly.
Dr. Curry will instruct patients regarding your medications.

What Happens During the Procedure?
The catheter ablation procedure is performed in a room with X-ray equipment, known as the Electrophysiology Laboratory. The patient will lay on the X-ray table, which is lightly padded.
Before the procedure begins, the patient will receive a very strong sedative and a strong anti-pain medication which will allow him/her to relax and sleep comfortably during the test.
A local anesthetic will also be used as the catheters are inserted through needle-sticks below the right collar bone and at the right and left groin areas. The catheters are soft, flexible tubes with small metal electrodes at the tip.
Using the X-ray for guidance, the catheters are moved through the veins, and occasionally an artery, to the heart.

Purpose of Ablation:
The metal electrodes are used to pace the heart to induce the abnormal heart rhythm and also for recording the electrocardiogram (EKG) at special sites throughout the heart. This allows the abnormal region to be identified. High frequency electrical current is then passed through one of the metal electrodes to the abnormal area of the heart. Although the current is generally painless, it destroys the abnormal region. If the catheter is positioned at exactly the right location, the abnormal rhythm will be eliminated. The area of injury is approximately the size of a pea, which then heals with a small scar.

Length of Procedure:
The procedure usually requires six to eight hours. Since the patient will be heavily sedated and sleeping for most of the procedure, he/she will not be aware of the length of time involved, but it is good to prepare family members for a relatively long wait.