When medications do not work to control Afib, or when they are not well tolerated, a procedure may be needed to treat your abnormal rhythm.
Cardioversion An outpatient procedure performed under short-acting sedation that electrically “resets” the heart. A low dose of energy reactivates normal rhythm, although its effect may not be permanent.
Catheter Ablation A minimally invasive procedure that typically applies radiofrequency energy to eliminate the small areas of heart tissue that are causing your Afib. Catheter ablation is designed to restore the heart’s normal rhythm on a long-term basis. An electrophysiologist (EP) performs the procedure, guiding catheters to the heart usually through a vein in the groin or neck. The procedure can take up to several hours and is performed under sedation with an anesthesiologist. Patients typically go home the following day and return to normal life and activities in one to two weeks. Medications for controlling the arrhythmia may be reduced or even eliminated following successful catheter ablation.
Pulsed Field Ablation Baptist Health is among the pioneers in the U.S. to integrate Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA), a state-of-the-art technology for treating Afib. PFA employs electrical fields to selectively target irregular heart cells, reducing procedure time by up to 60 minutes compared to traditional methods, resulting in shorter anesthesia duration, fewer complications, and quicker recovery for patients.
More Ablation Procedures Baptist offers pressure-sensing ThermoCool SmartTouch© Catheter to burn the sources of atrial fibrillation in the heart, and the Cryoballoon Catheter that uses miniature balloons at subzero temperatures to freeze them. Both have an 80% overall success rate.