What is Ablation Surgery?
More than two million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) begin to quiver instead of beating rhythmically. This can cause blood to remain in the atria, where it may form clots. If these clots go to the brain, a stroke results. Therefore, it is important to correct atrial fibrillation. The most common methods to rectify this include drugs to slow the heart, electrical shocks to restore normal rhythm, atrial pacemakers to maintain normal rhythm, and ablation surgery to destroy tissues that stimulate abnormal rhythm. Ablation surgery has become one of the most effective methods in treating atrial fibrillation, especially in patients who do not respond to drug treatment.
