Spire Leeds Hospital offers advanced cardiology services including cardiac ablation and electrophysiology. The hospital has the only private cardiac ablation operating theatre in West Yorkshire.
Ablation of cardiac arrythmia is a procedure to treat abnormal heart rhythms. A catheter is inserted into your heart and a machine directs energy towards your heart muscle in order to help regulate your heart beat.
What's involved in having a catheter ablation of arrhythmia?
During the ablation procedure you will be anaesthetised. A tiny metal-tipped wire catheter is threaded through a vein or artery in your leg up into the heart. Using an instrument called a fluoroscope your cardiologist is then able to view the catheter moving through the vessel on a monitor. Other catheters containing electrical sensors also are inserted, usually through the neck, and are used to help find the areas causing the arrhythmia. Once these problem areas are located, the metal-tipped catheter is used to deliver radiofrequency waves to gently burn away the problem tissue.
Most patients are able to go home either the same day of treatment or the following morning. However each patient's experience is slightly different and you should always follow your doctor's instructions.