Using extreme heat to disrupt electrical signals causing an abnormal heart rhythm
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat (similar to microwave heat) to destroy a small area of tissue that is triggering a rapid or irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, or AFib. Your doctors may recommend this therapy if your AFib can’t be controlled by medicine.
The specialists in our Electrophysiology Program have expertise in performing many types of atrial fibrillation ablation and will work with you to find the best treatment for your unique situation.
What to expect during radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation
While radiofrequency ablation can be performed as open-heart surgery, we commonly do it as a minimally invasive cardiac catheterization procedure.
You may be given a sedative to help you relax, but you will remain awake throughout the procedure. A local anesthetic will be injected to numb the area in the arm or groin where the doctor will insert the catheter. They will guide it through a blood vessel to the heart and send small electrical impulses through an electrode catheter to identify the abnormal tissue causing the arrhythmia. The doctor will then send a mild, painless burst of heat through the catheter to cause tiny scars and restore your heart’s regular heart rhythm.
The procedure takes two to four hours, and you’ll likely be able to go home the same day.
Video
Conditions
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a type of arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat) in which the heart’s two upper chambers do not beat in sync with the two lower chambers.
Tests
Chest X-ray
Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart, and chest wall.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.
Event Monitors
An event monitor is a small device that records the heart’s electrical activity. It’s similar to an electrocardiogram, but where an electrocardiogram takes place over a few minutes, an event monitor measures heart rhythms over a much longer time.
Holter Monitors
A Holter monitor is a small device that records the heart’s electrical activity. It’s similar to an electrocardiogram, but whereas an electrocardiogram records over a few minutes, a Holter monitor records over the course of a day or two.
Stress Tests
Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms, and chemically induced stress tests.
Our providers
Location: Change location Enter your location
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Walter Lawrence Atiga, MD
Electrophysiology
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Amanda Z. Beirne, ACNP-BC
Electrophysiology
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Jeffrey Yu-chen Chang, PA
Electrophysiology & Cardiology
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Kathryn Rose Dougherty, PA
Electrophysiology
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Sarfraz A. Durrani, MD
Electrophysiology
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Zayd Eldadah, MD
Electrophysiology
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Jay Aaron Mazel, MD
Electrophysiology
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Glenn Robert Meininger, MD
Electrophysiology
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Susan O'Donoghue, MD
Electrophysiology
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Wale John Ojeyinka, AGACNP-BC
Electrophysiology
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Edward V. Platia, MD
Electrophysiology
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Manish Shah, MD
Electrophysiology
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Sunjeet Singh Sidhu, MD
Internal Medicine & Electrophysiology
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Apostolos Tsimploulis, MD
Electrophysiology
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Cherrie C Webb, CRNP
Electrophysiology
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Megan Joy Zemrose, PA
Electrophysiology
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Our locations
Distance from Change locationEnter your location
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
201 E. University Pkwy. Baltimore, MD 21218
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center
7503 Surratts Rd. Clinton, MD 20735
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
3800 Reservoir Rd. NW Washington, DC, 20007
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving St. NW Washington, DC 20010
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
18101 Prince Philip Dr. Olney, MD 20832
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
9000 Franklin Square Dr. Baltimore, MD 21237
Additional information
Electrophysiology Program
We are leaders in developing and using the latest procedures and technologies to treat heart rhythm disorders, and our cardiac electrophysiology laboratory is one of the most sophisticated in North America.
Ask MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
Have general questions for our heart and vascular program? Email us at AskMHVI@medstar.net. If you have clinically-specific questions, please contact your physician’s office.