Atrial flutter ablation
Atrial flutter ablation is a treatment for a very fast, fluttering heartbeat. It uses heat energy to create tiny scars in an upper chamber of the heart. The scars block the faulty electrical signals that cause the irregular heartbeat.
Atrial flutter is a type of irregular heartbeat called an arrhythmia. It happens when the heart's electrical signals tell the upper heart chambers, called the atria, to beat too quickly. The atria may beat up to 350 times per minute during a bout of atrial flutter.
Why it's done
Atrial flutter ablation is done to control the symptoms of atrial flutter. It helps reset the heart's rhythm, which may make quality of life better.
Your heart doctor, called a cardiologist, may suggest atrial flutter ablation as one of the first treatments for atrial flutter.
Risks
Possible risks of atrial flutter ablation include:
- Bleeding or infection at the site where a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is placed into the body.
- Damage to a blood vessel or the heart.
- A new irregular heartbeat or one that becomes worse.
- Heart attack or stroke.
- Slow heart rate, which may need a pacemaker to fix.
- Stroke due to blood clots forming in the legs or lungs.
- Narrowing of the veins that carry blood between the lungs and heart. This is called pulmonary vein stenosis.
Talk with your healthcare team about the possible risks and benefits of atrial flutter ablation. This can help you figure out if the treatment is right for you.
How you prepare
Your healthcare team tells you how to prepare for atrial flutter ablation.
Let your healthcare team know about any medicines or supplements you take. Your care team tells you if you should keep taking them or make any changes before atrial flutter ablation.
Arrange for someone to drive you home after the treatment.
What you can expect
Atrial flutter ablation is done in a hospital. Shortly before you get the treatment, a member of your healthcare team cleans and shaves the part of the body where the heart doctor will work, such as the groin.
During
A member of your healthcare team places an IV into a vein in your forearm or hand. Medicine called a sedative goes through the IV. The medicine helps you feel relaxed.
The amount of sedation needed for atrial flutter ablation may depend on your overall health. You may be fully awake or moderately sedated. Or you may get a mix of medicines to put you in a sleeplike state. This is called general anesthesia.
The heart doctor inserts a long, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel, usually in the groin. The doctor guides the tube to the proper area of the heart.
Sensors on the tip of the catheter send signals and record the heart's electricity. Your heart doctor uses this information to learn where to apply the ablation treatment in the heart.
Then, heat energy, called radiofrequency energy, is used to create small scars in the upper chambers of the heart. The scarring blocks the electrical signals that cause atrial flutter. Atrial flutter ablation typically takes 2 to 3 hours.
After
After the treatment, your healthcare team takes you to a recovery area and closely checks on you.
Depending on your overall health, you may go home the same day. Or you may spend a night in the hospital.
Ask your healthcare team what activities are safe for you while you recover. In general, don't lift anything that weighs more than 10 pounds for about a week. And don't drive until your healthcare professional says it's OK to do so.
Call your healthcare professional if the site where a catheter was placed:
- Loses feeling or tingles.
- Looks very bruised.
- Becomes swollen or fluids drain from it.
Also call your healthcare professional if you feel sick to your stomach or sweat a lot.
Call 911 or your local emergency number if:
- You have a fast or irregular heartbeat.
- You feel short of breath.
- You feel dizzy or lightheaded enough to have to lie down.
- A lump forms by the catheter site.
- Bleeding from the catheter site or incision doesn't slow down when you put pressure on the area.
- You feel pain or discomfort in your chest that spreads into your neck, jaw or arm.
- Your face droops, your arm becomes weak or you have trouble speaking.
Results
After atrial flutter ablation, you need regular health checkups. Most people see their quality of life get better. But sometimes the irregular heartbeat comes back. If this happens, you may need another ablation or other heart treatments.
Sept. 12, 2026