To diagnose a heart arrhythmia, your doctor will review your symptoms and your medical history and conduct a physical examination. Your doctor may ask about — or test for — conditions that may trigger your arrhythmia, such as heart disease or a problem with your thyroid gland. Your doctor may also perform heart-monitoring tests specific to arrhythmias.
Much like a cardiac catheter RF ablation, cryo-ablation is a curative procedure for patients suffering from uncontrolled or poorly controlled atrial fibrillation / Afib or other treatable arrhythmias. The single, most significant difference between the two procedures is that cryoablation uses cold versus heat to destroy improperly functioning heart tissue. The use of cryoablation versus a heat-based ablation depends on your electrophysiologist’s preference, however and we encourage you to discuss both options with your EP.
Cardiac catheter RF ablation is a curative procedure for well selected patients suffering from atrial fibrillation or a fib (and certain other arrythmias) that is poorly or uncontrolled with lifestyle changes and medication alone. When Afib is first diagnosed, we approach it in a stepwise manner, starting with the least invasive options. This will typically include diet and exercise modifications. Indeed, excess weight and obesity has been linked to de novo and worsened cardiac arrhythmias. Unfortunately, as most of us know, a proper diet and exercise regimen is difficult to maintain over the long term, and many patients require medical treatment in the form of antiarrhythmics and anticoagulants. However, medical treatments also have their downsides.
An electrophysiology or EP study is a definitive diagnostic test for cardiac arrythmias when other testing, such as Holter or Event Monitors, have come back inconclusive. An EP study is very similar to other catheter-based cardiac diagnostics and treatments. EP studies are performed in a specially-outfitted lab at the hospital and patients are sedated. Doing so allows your electrophysiologist to visualize the structures of the heart and if any errant electrical signals are being produced therein.