Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Turkey
The heart’s most important function is to pump blood throughout the body. The blood pumping process, which we feel as a heartbeat, occurs thanks to the electrical impulses in the heart stimulating the target areas. Thus, the heart contracts at regular intervals, pumping blood throughout the body. The electrical impulses in the heart may become irregular due to some problems. This condition is known as arrhythmia.
Rhythm disturbances are among the most common problems among heart diseases. There are many types of this disorder, known as “arrhythmia” in the medical language. One of them is atrial fibrillation. Although atrial fibrillation can be seen in both the elderly and young people, its incidence is higher in the elderly. It is among the most common rhythm disorders.
Atrial fibrillation often develops without symptoms, and it does not show any symptoms for a long time. When it gives symptoms, it usually manifests itself with heart palpitations. The heart may work at unnecessary speeds due to atrial fibrillation and may enlarge accordingly, causing heart failure. It is even known that atrial fibrillation can increase the risk of stroke in the elderly. Today, this ailment can be treated with special ablation techniques. Ablation therapy is highly advantageous for some patients with atrial fibrillation as it can eliminate the need for medication. In the rest of our article, we will talk about important issues about atrial fibrillation and then atrial fibrillation ablation.
You can call us to get detailed information about 3D ablation treatment in Turkey, You can make an appointment with Associate Professor Dr. Ömer Uz.
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is a type of rhythm disorder caused by abnormal electrical impulses emanating from the atria of the heart. The electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract and pump blood spread throughout the tissues that make up the heart. Thus, they are transmitted from the place where they are formed to the place where the heart should contract. During this conduction, the impulses that progress without any problems in the small chamber of the heart may become irregular when they reach the atria of the heart. This can cause the heart to beat at irregular intervals, and in some cases, the heart rate can reach up to 200 beats per minute. The condition we are describing is known medically as atrial fibrillation.
What Are the Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation?
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation include:
- Palpitations: Heart palpitations are the most common symptom observed during atrial fibrillation. During palpitations, the heart beats intermittently and rapidly. The heart muscles can grow and lose their former strength due to the constant contraction of the heart faster than it should. This can lead to different inconveniences.
- Shortness of breath.
- Restlessness.
- Fatigue quickly during physical activities.
- Irregularity in blood pressure.
- In some cases fainting.
Many of the symptoms we have mentioned are due to the flutter caused by atrial fibrillation. Over time, this condition can lead to an enlarged heart and even heart failure. It may increase the risk of clot formation, especially in elderly patients. Depending on the formation of the clot, people can have a stroke.
How to Treat Atrial Fibrillation?
There are two common treatment used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The first of these is drug treatments. The other is a special treatment application known as ablation.
Drugs used to treat atrial fibrillation work as long as they are used. That is, they do not permanently cure atrial fibrillation. If used regularly, they suppress atrial fibrillation and symptoms due to atrial fibrillation. When patients neglect, forget or stop using these drugs, the dangerous symptoms of the disease begin to appear again. Ablation therapy, on the other hand, offers a much more permanent treatment.
What is Atrial Fibrillation Ablation?
In the treatment of atrial fibrillation with ablation, the problematic area that causes atrial fibrillation in patients is eliminated. Atrial fibrillation is caused by abnormal formations in the left atrium in most patients. Both these formations and others can be destroyed by burning or freezing during the ablation process. Ablation therapy; It is very advantageous for patients who do not want to use drugs continuously, who have difficulties due to drugs or for whom drug treatment is not sufficient. It is also a must-do procedure in heart failure caused by atrial fibrillation. This treatment promises a success rate of up to 80% in the early stages of atrial fibrillation. Therefore, patients who do not want to use rhythm-regulating drugs for life are recommended to apply for ablation therapy early.
How to Perform Atrial Fibrillation Ablation?
Atrial fibrillation ablation takes place under sedation, or deep sleep. In some cases, general anesthesia may also be used. In both cases, patients do not feel pain.
During ablation therapy, some catheters (thin tubes) are sent to the heart with the help of veins in the inguinal region of the patients. These catheters reach the relevant areas of the heart. Then they interfere with the tissue that causes atrial fibrillation. This intervention can occur in two ways. The problematic tissue we mentioned in the first is burned using radiofrequency waves. In the other, it is frozen with nitrogen gas. In both cases, the negative effects of the problematic tissues on the heart are eliminated.
For detailed information about these procedures, you can review the articles on our website, namely Heat Energy Ablation and Cold Energy Ablation, respectively.
What Should Be Considered After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation?
After atrial fibrillation ablation, patients may be accommodated in the hospital overnight. In this process, patients’ vital signs such as pulse and blood pressure are checked regularly. All modern facilities are referred so that patients can take a healthy step into the recovery process after ablation. The next day, they are discharged with the decision of the doctor. There are some situations that patients should pay attention to after ablation, these are:
- You should stay away from strenuous activities and heavy work for a while.
- Exercise should not be done for a while.
- It should be rested regularly.
- 2 weeks after the procedure can continue their daily lives with the doctor’s recommendation.
