Catheter ablation

Catheter ablation is an invasive procedure used to remove a faulty electrical pathway from the hearts of those who are prone to developing cardiac arrhythmias such as supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Related Topics:
Heart - Cardiac arrhythmia - Supraventricular tachycardia - Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

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It involves advancing a flexible catheter into the patient's blood vessels, usually either in the femoral vein or subclavian vein. The catheter is then advanced towards the heart and high-frequency electrical impulses are used to induce the arrhythmia, and then ablate the accessory pathway that is causing it.

Related Topics:
Catheter - Blood vessel - Femoral vein - Subclavian vein

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Catheter ablation is usually performed by an electrophysiologist (a specially trained cardiologist) in a cath lab.

Related Topics:
Electrophysiologist - Cardiologist - Cath lab

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Amongst others, Tony Blair (current prime-minister of Britain) has undergone a successful catheter ablation.

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