Cryoablation Heart Surgery
FAQs
How is cryoablation heart surgery performed?
Before the actual procedure, patients must undergo testing to determine the source
of their arrhythmia. This involves an electrophysiologic procedure in which doctors
measure and map the activity of local electrical signals. To perform the test, a
catheter tipped with electrodes is placed in a vein from the leg or neck and threaded
to a variety of sites within your heart. Using the electrodes, the arrhythmia event
is then reproduced while doctors observe the location of the arrhythmia as well
as the source of its cause under the guidance of fluoroscopy or X-rays. If the arrhythmia
is caused by supraventricular tachycardia, your doctor will replace one of the "mapping"
catheters with a cryocatheter and freeze the spots which appear to be causing the
electrical malfunction. By freezing the tissue at this target site, the cells responsible
for the arrhythmia are disabled and the arrhythmia disappears. Doctors test the
area first by lowering the catheter tip to 30 degress Celcius, then dop the temperature
to minus 70 degrees Celcius to make the cryoablation permanent. By testing first,
any normal tissue that was inadvertently frozen can thaw and recover. Doctors will
then try to reproduce the arrhythmia again and continue treatment until the arrhythmia
can no longer be reproduced.
Who is eligible for cryoablation heart surgery?
Currently the procedure is only FDA-approved for arrhythmias that occur on the right
side of the heart near the AV node, also called supraventricular tachycardia. This
is the most common type of arrhythmia and occurs in 60 to 70 percent of patients
with arrhythmia. In young children, arrhythmia is often a problem the child is born
with. Approximately 2,000 procedures to eliminate arrhythmias are performed on children
each year.
What are potential complications of cryoablation heart surgery?
While the risk of damage to other tissue is a possibility, with cryoablation, that
occurrence has been nearly eliminated.
What are potential complications of cryoablation heart surgery?
Heart arrhythmias occur when the electrical impulses in your heart that coordinate
your heartbeats do not function properly. This can cause your heart to beat too
fast, too slow, or irregularly. Approximately four million American experience heart
arrhythmias that can cause bothersome or even dangerous symptoms. These include
shortness of breath, fainting or even sudden cardiac death. Treatment of arrhythmias
is usually required only if the arrhythmia is causing significant symptoms or if
it's putting you at risk for more serious cardiac complications. The first line
of treatment normally involves medications. If these are not effective, your doctor
may recommend cryoablation or radiofrequency catheter ablation. Arrhythmias that
can not be treated with these methods may be candidates for a pacemaker.
Signs and symptoms of arrhythmia
Older children and teenagers often have signs and symptoms similar to those in adults:
While younger children may experience similar symptoms, you should become alerted
that they may have a problem if:
- Difficulty with feedings
- Fussiness
- Loss of consciousness in rare cases