Ablation is used to treat abnormalities experienced by the heart’s electrical system. These abnormalities cause the heartbeat to be too fast, irregular, or have too many extra beats. This technique involves ablating, or destroying, a specific region of the heart muscle responsible for the abnormal rhythm. This effectively restores the heartbeat to a normal pace. Ablations are typically performed in a cardiac cath lab by highly trained electrophysiology cardiologists.
To perform an ablation, radiofrequency energy, similar to microwave heat, is used. While this energy is used, a catheter attached to an electrode is introduced to your heart through a blood vessel. This electrode sends the radiofrequency energy to destroy the cells that are causing the abnormalities. The cardiologist then removes the catheter from your body.
