Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Qualifies for Surgery?Scarring ProcessRecoverySelf-Care After Heart AblationRepeat Heart Ablation
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Who Qualifies for Surgery?
Scarring Process
Recovery
Self-Care After Heart Ablation
Repeat Heart Ablation
Heart ablation is a procedure that cardiologists (heart specialists) may recommend for people who have not responded well to medications or other treatments for an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) and other heart conditions. The procedure involves inserting a catheter from the groin to the heart to look for the source of the problem. Once found, the healthcare provider destroys the abnormal tissue.
Medicines successfully control symptoms for many people with heart disease. However, sometimes medications do not work, or side effects are difficult to manage.Additional reasons that make you a good candidate for a heart ablation include:
Heart Ablation TechniquesSome heart ablation techniques can be done in an outpatient setting, which means you can go home the same day. Other methods are more complex and may require a hospital stay, including:Catheter ablation: During catheter ablation, a healthcare provider inserts a thin tube (catheter) into a vein to access the heart. This method can be an outpatient or inpatient procedure.Surgical ablation: Healthcare providers perform surgical ablations using minimally invasive laparoscopy and open-heart surgical procedures. It is usually performed if someone is already having open-heart surgery and will require a hospital stay.Hybrid surgical/catheter:This procedure combines catheterization with thoracoscopic surgery that involves a few small incisions in the abdomen. A hospital stay may be required.
Heart Ablation Techniques
Some heart ablation techniques can be done in an outpatient setting, which means you can go home the same day. Other methods are more complex and may require a hospital stay, including:Catheter ablation: During catheter ablation, a healthcare provider inserts a thin tube (catheter) into a vein to access the heart. This method can be an outpatient or inpatient procedure.Surgical ablation: Healthcare providers perform surgical ablations using minimally invasive laparoscopy and open-heart surgical procedures. It is usually performed if someone is already having open-heart surgery and will require a hospital stay.Hybrid surgical/catheter:This procedure combines catheterization with thoracoscopic surgery that involves a few small incisions in the abdomen. A hospital stay may be required.
Some heart ablation techniques can be done in an outpatient setting, which means you can go home the same day. Other methods are more complex and may require a hospital stay, including:
Process of Heart Ablation and Scarring
Once located, the cardiologist uses one of two methods to destroy or scar abnormal tissue causing an arrhythmia:
Heart ablation procedures can take four hours or more. During the procedure, the cardiologist may ask you questions regarding your heart. You may also feel a burning sensation when the healthcare team injects medicine or if they use heat energy to create scars. It’s common to feel light-headed or have a faster or slower heartbeat during the procedure.
Heart Ablation Recovery at a Glance
Average Healing Time
The healthcare team will take you to arecoveryroom for heart rhythm monitoring immediately after the procedure. They will determine whether you can return home the same day or if you need to stay overnight for additional monitoring. You will need someone to drive you home after the procedure. In the days following your procedure, you may feel fatigue, tightness in your chest, and irregular or skipped heartbeats.
Influencing Factors
Some people can return to normal activities within a few days, while others may need two weeks or more.Recovery depends on how strenuous your everyday activities are, your overall health, the scope of the ablation, and any chronic conditions present.
While most people can return to their usual activities a few days after a heart ablation, it’s important to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions closely to ensure a smooth recovery. Even if you feel better, your healthcare team will give you instructions to support healing in the week following the procedure:
Call 911 if you experience the following:
Once you fully recover, lifestyle changes are necessary to support heart health and prevent the arrhythmia from returning. To support your long-term heart health, you should maintain a healthy weight, eat a heart-healthy diet, get regular physical activity, quit smoking, and treat anxiety or depression.
For some people, a heart ablation will eliminate arrhythmia. However, others may experience symptoms because the scar tissue is not effectively blocking the electrical signals. If they persist three or more months after the procedure, your healthcare provider may recommend another heart ablation.
Arrhythmia is more likely to be unresolved after a heart ablation if you have the following:
Many people have great success with a second or third heart ablation because cardiologists can better target the areas where the signals have reconnected.
Summary
Cardiologists may recommend heart ablation to treat an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) when medications or other treatments are ineffective. Ideal candidates for the procedure are those with no other structural problems or symptoms lasting less than a week. Factors such as overall health, age, and arrhythmia severity can influence recovery. Sometimes, a repeat ablation may be necessary if the arrhythmia returns or persists.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Cardiac ablation procedures.
American Heart Association.Ablation for arrhythmias.
John Hopkins Medicine.Catheter ablation.
John Hopkins Medicine.Atrial fibrillation ablation.
Stanford Medicine.Types of ablation.
Penn Medicine.Ablation recovery: what you should know.
John Hopkins Medicine.Surgical site infections.
Hynes M.Beyond ablation in atrial fibrillation: 10 steps to better control.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2020;15(4):434-440. doi: 10.1177/1559827620943326
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