Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Ablation
Ablation – sometimes called cardiac ablation or radiofrequency ablation – is a non-surgical procedure used to treat many different forms of rapid heartbeats such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and atrial tachycardia as well as supra-ventricular and ventricular tachycardia.
An animation of a catheter ablation procedure
Destroying Damaged Tissue
Fletcher Allen’s heart rhythm experts use x-ray monitoring to guide an electrode-tipped catheter into the area of heart muscle causing the irregular electrical impulses. Radiofrequency energy is transmitted through the probe to kill the defective tissue, thereby stopping the abnormal signals and curing the rapid heartbeats.
High Rate of Success
Ablation procedures can cure many types of abnormal heart rhythms. In some cases success rates are as high as 95 percent with a low risk of complications. You will experience little or no discomfort, and can usually resume normal activities in a few days. There are different types of ablation for different types of abnormal rhythms; your doctor will discuss the details of your procedure with you at length.
National Leader
At Fletcher Allen, we are a national leader in cardiac ablation procedures, performing the most advanced, up-to-date techniques and continually researching new methods to provide the best possible care for each and every patient.
