A cardiologist recommended an ablation for me. I have a heart abnormality called atrial fibrillation. He says he thinks he may be able to cure this with the ablation. I don’t feel too bad overall. What does ablation mean, and is that procedure worth the risk?
FIrst of all, the heart abnormality that you have, atrial fibrillation (sometimes called AFib) is a very common. It is a heart rhythm or electrical abnormality. Many people can live in atrial fibrillation, as long as they take a blood thinner to prevent stroke. But some people have symptoms from the atrial fibrillation, and for those people an ablation may be reasonable. The procedure is when a cardiologist uses catheters in the heart to deliver a burst of energy that essentially burns the area of the heart that is causing the problem. For an experienced cardiologist, the risk of the procedure is relatively low; therefore, if they are recommending it, it is likely worth the risk.
Expert: Cleveland Clinic
To learn more about atrial fibrillation, watch this video from VideoMD.com.
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