Medical Care & Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Therapy
Many types of medications are used to successfully treat arrhythmias. At the University of Chicago Hospitals Cardiac Center, our electrophysiologists take special care to prescribe the best combination of medications to treat arrhythmias. These same specialists are actively researching new medications and can sometimes offer experimental drugs that are not widely available at other hospitals.
Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation
Radiofrequency catheter ablation revolutionized the treatment of many types of cardiac arrhythmias. This treatment can offer a permanent cure for some types of arrhythmias instead of a lifetime of symptoms and drug treatments. Cardiac Center electrophysiologists are among the nation's leaders in catheter ablation.
Ablation procedures are performed in our electrophysiology lab, often in less than three hours. The procedure involves the use of a specially designed catheter that is threaded through the leg into the heart. While in the heart, the catheter is used to locate the arrhythmia source, which is then eliminated by high frequency radio waves.
Many people can leave the hospital the same day of the procedure. A cure rate of 98 percent with very little risk can be achieved in people who have common forms of supraventricular tachycardia without associated heart disease. A high success rate can also be achieved with other types of arrhythmias, including some forms of ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation.
Ablation can be performed during surgery if the person is also having surgery for other types of heart problems.
More Information
- Diagnostic Services
- Medical Care & Ablation
- Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
- Pacemakers and Defibrillators
