The heart has its own electrical system that helps keep the heart in rhythm and helps control how fast it beats.
With atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, tiny areas of heart tissue send extra electrical signals.
Those extra signals cause the upper chambers of your heart, called the atria, to quiver or "fibrillate."
And that upsets the steady rhythm of your heartbeat.
Catheter ablation is a procedure that destroys the tissue that's causing problems.
These areas are usually tiny.
And destroying them does not affect the heart's ability to do its job.
First you’ll get medicine that may make you sleep or feel sleepy, so you won’t feel pain during the procedure.
The doctor may make a small cut or incision—or it might be just a small poke— in a blood vessel in your arm or groin, on the upper thigh.
And then a thin tube called a catheter will go into the blood vessel.
To guide the catheter, your doctor looks at pictures of your heart using an X-ray.
The catheter first goes in through the upper right chamber of your heart, called the right atrium.
Then it's moved into the left atrium.
This is where the heart tissue that causes a-fib is usually found.
When the tissue is found, the doctor uses the tip of the catheter to destroy, or ablate, the tissue.
When finished, your doctor removes the catheter.
You'll stay in a recovery room for a few hours.
This is to make sure that the catheter site has healed enough to stop any bleeding.
The nurse may use something like a weighted bag to put pressure on the catheter site to keep it from bleeding.
Before the surgery, tell your doctor about all the medicines and natural health products you take, especially blood thinners, like aspirin.
Some can raise the risk of bleeding or cause problems with anesthesia.
Your doctor will tell you which medicines to take or stop before surgery.
And follow your doctor’s directions for preparing for your surgery, including when you should stop eating and drinking.
Bring your photo ID, insurance card, and any paperwork your hospital may have asked for.
Preparing for a catheter ablation may be stressful.
But knowing what to expect and how to prepare can help.
And if you have any questions or concerns, you can always call your doctor.