Heart Ablation Treatment Turkey

Ablation is a method used to correct rhythm disorders in the heart.

As it is known, the most important task of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body. Our cells can be nourished and oxygenated with the heart pumping blood.  However, the blood that transfers the nutrients and oxygen to the cells; It incorporates waste materials and carbon dioxide in the cells. Then, to be cleaned from these waste materials; It continues to circulate to be enriched with oxygen and nutrients again. This is one of the most fundamental and most important cycles in our body. If a rhythm disorder occurs in the heart, this cycle may be interrupted. Moreover, some problems that cause rhythm disorders can put people’s lives at risk. Ablation treatment is performed to completely eliminate rhythm disorders and to ensure that the circulation we mentioned takes place as it should.

Ablation therapy is the second stage of the “Electrophysiological Study”, that is, EPS. This stage can occur in a number of different ways. Thanks to the methods known as cold (freezing) energy ablation and heat (radiofequency) energy ablation, the area of the heart that causes arrhythmia is completely destroyed. Thus, the living standards of patients can be increased and the need for lifelong drug use can be eliminated. In the rest of our article, we will talk about the risks of ablation therapy and how ablation therapy is performed.

You can call us to get detailed information about ablation treatment in Turkey, You can make an appointment with Associate Professor Dr. Ömer Uz.

What Does Ablation Mean As Word?

The term ablation takes place in many branches of science. It is generally defined as the process of removing undesirable parts that do not work. In the field of cardiology, it is used to mean the destruction of the areas and/or tissues that cause palpitations and irregular rhythm disorders in the heart by burning. The aim of this treatment is to completely eliminate the problematic area that causes cardiac arrhythmia. This process can be done in two different ways.

The first of these is the application known as heat energy ablation. During this application, special radiofrequency waves are used. Thanks to the radiofrequency waves, the area of the heart that causes the rhythm disturbance is heated. It can be heated up to 90 degrees in this region. Vital activities of the region causing rhythm disturbance are stopped with the help of high temperature. So, in a sense, the region causing the arrhythmia (rhythm disturbance) is destroyed. Thus, instead of constantly using drugs to keep the heart rhythm in order, the area causing the rhythm disturbance is freed with a single operation.

The other method is known as cold (freezing) energy ablation. During this process, nitrogen gas is used. With the help of nitrogen gas, the problematic area causing rhythm disturbance in the heart is frozen. Thus, it loses its function and its negative effects on the heart rhythm are eliminated.

How to Perform Ablation?

Ablation is the second phase of the electrophysiological study (EPS). In other words, when diagnosing rhythm disorder with EPS; With ablation, this diseased area is destroyed and treated. These two processes are similar to each other. After determining the source of the rhythm disorder in the heart by electrophysiological study, cold or heat ablation process is used to eliminate this region in ablation treatment. During the ablation process, an extra catheter is used, unlike EPS. For detailed information about how the ablation treatment is performed, you can review the articles named “cold energy ablation” and “heat energy   ablation” on our website.

What Are the Risks of Ablation Procedure?

As with any medical treatment, ablation therapy has some risks. However, these risks are generally associated with ablation; They occur as a result of doing it in unsuitable environments and under unsuitable conditions. The risks of ablation therapy performed by a team of experts under appropriate conditions are practically zero. Moreover, these risks are many times less than the life-threatening risk due to serious rhythm disorder

What are the Advantages of Ablation Treatment ?

The advantages of ablation treatment include:

• The region causing the rhythm disturbance is completely destroyed. Thus, this area stops affecting the rhythm of the heart and creating irregularities in the heart rhythm.
• The most notable and important advantage of ablation therapy; The fact that patients can eliminate their life-long drug use obligations.
• Ablation therapy is very comfortable for the patient. Patients do not feel pain or discomfort during the treatment.
• The recovery period after ablation therapy is very short. In fact, patients can return to their daily lives immediately after the procedure.
• The drugs used in the treatment of arrhythmia (rhythm disorder) never cause a permanent improvement in the heart of the patient. They only ensure that the heart rhythm is regular during their use. Patients may have a difficult time if the use of drugs is forgotten, disrupted or access to drugs is not possible. In ablation treatment, the problem causing the rhythm disorder is eliminated directly, in one go. Thus, most of the patients are saved from using arrhythmia medication for life.
• Ablation therapy does not have serious side effects like rhythm-regulating drugs.
• Ablation therapy is a much more modern and advanced technique compared to other drug therapies. It is a new treatment that has been used enough (20 years) to prove its safety.

Ablation or Medication? Which Should I Prefer?

While ablation is inevitable in some rhythm disorders, both drug treatment or ablation options are offered to the patient in some rhythm disorders. However, the statistical rates obtained according to the scientific studies we have are as follows. While the success rate of rhythm-regulating drugs is around 30-40%; The probability of eliminating the rhythm disorder with ablation has a rate of 75-95%. Ablation is not performed under general anesthesia and short-term hospitalizations make this procedure attractive. With the ablation procedure, it is possible to get rid of sometimes life-threatening rhythm disorders, sometimes rhythm disorders that cause heart failure, and sometimes palpitations that completely upset the comfort of life. In this way, another important advantage is that he is freed from the use of some drugs that may cause side effects on his body until the end of his life. Of course, the most important point here is; to select patients who are likely to benefit and to apply a patient-specific treatment strategy.

What Should Be Considered After Ablation Treatment?

Things to consider after ablation include:

• Exercise should not be done for the period recommended by the doctor.
• Heavy work should be avoided.
• It should be rested regularly.
• Major improvement is seen within 2 weeks. In this process, the doctor’s recommendations should be followed.

Doctors will provide detailed information about the recovery process after ablation and what needs to be considered.