Atrial fibrillation (AF) can cause symptoms but more importantly it can increase your risk of stroke and heart failure. (For more information about stroke and heart failure, click here.)
When medication therapy is unsuccessful, the Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Center can offer you access to specialists in heart rhythm abnormalities (electrophysiologists) who can provide the latest options in ablation of AF:
Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) and Catheter Maze ablation techniques.
Specialists
Our Electrophysiologists are Board Certified. They have achieved this after their Board Certification in Cardiology.They are experts who concentrate their practice in the care of patients who have heart rhythm abnormalities, who are implanted with cardiac rhythm control devices such as pacemakers and impantable cardioverter defibrillators, or who require procedures such as ablations. In addition, the physicians affiliated with our center have particular interest in the atrial fibrillation ablation procedure and have worked and written extensively regarding atrial fibillation. (To read about our Physicians, click here.)
What is an ablation?
Ablation means to erase. Cardiac rhythm ablation techniques use energy like heat generated by radiofrequency (RF), microwave or cautery generators, cold (cryo) and some chemicals to change the cells so they can no longer produce or transmit the electrical forces that make heart rhythm abnormalities.
Atrial fibrillation is more and more frequently being ablated with high cure rates. At the center, we are doing hundreds of ablations for atrial fibrillation. We are finding our success rate increases with ablation in the left atrium (left side upper chamber) with few patients needing more than one procedure to achieve success.
Why Ablate in the Left Atrial?
Recent scientific studies show the areas where veins from the lungs (pulmonary veins) enter the left side of the heart (left atrium) are found to be one of the sites for AF. This is because of the type of cells in the area as well as the effect of physical stresses on this area from conditions such as high blood pressure. Other areas in the left atrium have also been identified as sites of atrial fibrillation. These sites include the back and the "roof" or upper areas of the left atrium.
The pictures at the right show the entire heart (top) from the back to highlight the left atrium. The left atrium is paler in color in this picture. Click on the picture to see a movie of the entire heart.
The center picture shows an x-ray (fluoroscopy) of the heart and demonstrates how the heart and blood vessels are seen as shades of grey. A CT of the left atrium is added (red) to demonstrate how much more information we have when the two technologies are combined. Click to see the left atrium rotate clockwise from a view of the right side, to the back (posterior), left aspect, front (anterior) and return to the right sided view.
The lower picture shows the CT scan and the xray together to reveal the enhanced picture of the left atrium. We can place markers (red dots) where the ablation catheter has been placed and energy delivered. This helps us place the ablations in anatomically correct locations for each patient. Notice that there are othe wires in the heart. These other wires and electrodes sense the electrical activity of the heart beat which we use to create maps demonstrating the direction of the electrical currents or to locate abnormal signals. Click below the picture to enlarge it.
For personal answers to your questions, click here to email the AF Ablation Center nurse.
