Cardiac Catheter Ablation

Advantages of Pulmonary Vein Isolation

Catheter ablation has numerous advantages.

• It can permanently interrupt the triggers of heart arrhythmia; many patients require no further treatment.
• It can restore a regular, coordinated heartbeat.
• For many patients, it brings freedom from long-term use of blood-thinning medications.
• The procedure is minimally invasive, with no open-heart surgery needed.
• There is reduced risk to the patient in comparison to surgery.
• There is typically little or no pain for the patient.
• There is relatively fast recovery; most patients leave the hospital after one or two days and resume normal activities a few days after the procedure.
• Catheter ablation is less costly than other heart arrhythmia treatments.

The Mayo Clinic physician will describe the benefits and any risks specific to each patient.