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All About

Atrial Fibrillation Surgery

Wildlife

Symptoms

Noticeable arrhythmia symptoms may include

  • A fluttering in your chest
  • A racing heartbeat (tachycardia)
  • A slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath

Other symptoms may include:

  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Sweating
  • Fainting (syncope) or near fainting

Causes

Certain conditions can lead to, or cause, an arrhythmia, including:

  • A heart attack that's occurring right now
  • Scarring of heart tissue from a prior heart attack
  • Changes to your heart's structure, such as from cardiomyopathy Blocked arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease)
  • High blood pressure
  • Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
  • Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism)
  • Diabetes
  • Sleep apnea

Other things that can cause an arrhythmia include:

  • Smoking
  • Drinking too much alcohol or caffeine
  • Drug abuse
  • Stress or anxiety
  • Certain medications and supplements, including over-the-counter cold and allergy drugs and nutritional supplements
  • Genetics

More about Treatment

Atrial fibrillation ablation is a procedure used to treat an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that starts in the heart's upper chambers (atria). It's a type of cardiac ablation, which works by scarring or destroying tissue in your heart to disrupt faulty electrical signals causing the arrhythmia.

 

Atrial fibrillation ablation may be used if medications or other interventions to control an irregular heart rhythm don't work. Rarely, it's the first choice of treatment for atrial fibrillation.

 

Treatment for atrial fibrillation usually improves your symptoms, such as fatigue and shortness of breath. Without treatment, atrial fibrillation tends to get worse over time.

 

 

 

FAQ on this Treatment

What are the complications associated with AF surgery?

Catheter ablation is a minimally invasive procedure and is very safe procedure. It rarely leads to complications like bleeding, blood clot formation.

How long does an AF surgery last?

The surgery typically takes between one to two hours for completion, depending upon the extent of area over which ablation is required.

What are the lifestyle modifications to be followed after an AF surgery?

Even before surgery, patient is advised to quit smoking and alcohol consumption is also limited. A healthy diet with inclusion of good cholesterol, fibre and exclusion of bad cholesterol is recommended. Medications to control or lower heart rate may be administered as well.

What is the success rate of AF surgery?

Using radio frequency ablation, success rate of the surgery is reported to be around 90%.

When can I return to work after an AF surgery?

Is there an alternative for AF surgery? The alternative for AF ablation surgery is MAZE – in which cuts are made to scar tissue instead of radio waves ablation. It is more successful than catheter ablation but is an open heart surgery (highly invasive).

Which is a better surgery for AF – ablation or MAZE?

MAZE is more successful; however, it is also more invasive procedure. It is done for patients who are undergoing open heart surgery for a coexisting condition. Hence, catheter ablation is preferred otherwise due to minimal invasion. Recently, MINIMAZE techniques are coming up which have advantages of both.

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