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.
Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) targets specific areas of the heart with short, high-intensity electrical pulses. These pulses are carefully controlled to destroy specific cellular structures in the area. In destroying these cells, we can disrupt the abnormal electrical signals responsible for causing Afib and restore a normal heart rhythm. Because it does not rely on thermal (hot or cold) energy, PFA may reduce procedure times and complications due to tissue heating or cooling. PFA is more precise than other ablation options, thus limiting nearby tissue damage, improving outcomes, and even reducing the need for repeat procedures.
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.