Catheter Ablation

I have successfully completed over 1000 catheter ablations in my career to date, a technically complex procedure - one that I furthered my expertise in when I trained in UCLA in 2016 - 2017.

What is a catheter ablation? And what does it do?

Catheter ablation is an umbrella term encompassing a number of similar procedures that all aim to target the abnormal circuits that lead to heart rhythm problems. These procedures can be performed under either local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic.

They are performed by inserting thin flexible wire up into the heart from the veins or artery at the top of the leg up to the heart. We use x-ray guidance or using specialised equipment to pinpoint the location of the wires within the heart. Once we identify the location of the circuit causing the heart rhythm problem, and if safe to do so, then either heating energy or freezing energy is delivered to the tip of one of the wires in order to interrupt the abnormal circuit. After the procedure, all the wires are removed.

Catheter ablation is an effective treatment for heart rhythm problems and is an alternative to medications. Its success rate is dependent on the type of heart rhythm problem that has been targeted. It can take some months to tell if an ablation has been effective, as your heart tissue needs time to recover after the procedure.

There are some excellent patient resources around ablation and heart rhythm issues on The British Heart Foundation website.

If you have AF or another arrhythmia, I would be delighted to see you in clinic and give you an expert opinion on your options.