4 Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Ablation Procedure

4 Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Ablation Procedure

Irregular heart rhythms or arrhythmia is often caused by atrial fibrillation. A person may experience skipped heartbeats or fluttering in the heart. To correct the heartbeats, the heart ablation procedure is done. In this procedure, the part of the heart that is causing irregular heartbeat is subjected to radiofrequency energy. This destroys a small part of the tissue in the heart, which may help to restore the heartbeats to a regular rhythm.

Heart ablation procedure is recommended only when medicines fail to correct the abnormal heart tissue and correct the irregular heartbeats. Heart ablation procedure is a low-risk procedure and may be required to be done multiple times in case complications arise. Read on to know more about the different types of heart ablation procedures, the risks associated, immediate effects after the procedure, and the precautions that should be taken to avoid further complication

What are the different types of heart ablation procedure?

  • Atrial flutter ablation : This heart ablation procedure is used to treat the fluttering heartbeat by creating scar tissue in the upper right chamber of the heart. This blocks the electrical signals that cause the heartbeats to flutter.
  • Pulmonary vein isolation : This heart ablation procedure scars or destroys tissues in the upper left chamber of the heart. This is used to treat heart rhythm problems caused by abnormal electrical signals in the heart.
  • SVT ablation : Supraventricular tachycardia or SVT ablation is used to treat irregular heartbeats that affect the upper chambers of the heart. This procedure restores the heart’s normal rhythm.
  • Ventricular tachycardia ablation : This heart ablation procedure is used to treat irregular electrical signals that may occur in the lower chambers of the heart. With this procedure, normal heart rhythm is restored.

Are there any risks associated with heart ablation procedure?

  • There can be infection or bleeding in the area where the catheter was inserted while doing the heart ablation procedure.
  • While passing through the blood vessels to the heart, the catheter may scrape the blood vessels causing serious damage.
  • In rare cases, heart ablation procedure has been known to cause a puncture in the heart mostly due to the displacement of the catheter.
  • There can be damage to the heart or heart valves, or to the heart’s electrical system. This may require the placement of a pacemaker for correction.
  • Other risks include the formation of blood clots in the lungs or legs, heart attack, pulmonary vein stenosis, or damage to the kidneys as well.

What are the immediate effects after a heart ablation procedure?

  • Immediately after the heart ablation procedure, the patient may feel sore or discomfort in the chest. This may last for the first 48 hours. In case, the discomfort lasts longer, immediately inform the doctor.
  • The patient will also experience fatigue, which will go away as recovery progresses. This may be accompanied by symptoms similar to a common cold or congestive heart failure, which include bloating and shortness of breath. These post-procedure symptoms are observed mostly due to inflammation and water retention.
  • If any of the above-mentioned symptoms persist for more than a week after the procedure is done, make the call to the hospital or the doctor immediately as complications may have developed after the operation.

How to take care of health to avoid complications after the heart ablation procedure?

  • Despite a successful heart ablation procedure, a person may have to undergo the procedure again due to complications that occur later on. However, the complications can be avoided by making lifestyle changes to keep the heart healthy.
  • Blood pressure should be maintained by lessening the intake of salt. Avoid consuming processed foods and foods high in saturated fats. Heart-healthy foods such as nuts, fish rich in omega-3, and berries should be a regular part of the diet.
  • Light physical activities should be done every day to regulate the body weight and to enhance the mood. Regular physical activities help in alleviating stress on the heart.
  • It is best to quit smoking and drinking alcohol after a heart ablation procedure. Nicotine and alcohol can cause the worst possible complications.

Tags: heart ablation procedure

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.