What is an atrial fibrillation ablation or a pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedure?
Research has shown that almost all atrial fibrillation signals come from the four pulmonary veins (the veins that connect the lungs to the upper left chamber of the heart called the left atrium) (figure 2). Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) ablation is a procedure whose goal is to alter the pulmonary vein areas of the heart such that atrial fibrillation will not occur. During pulmonary vein isolation, the physician inserts catheters from both groin veins into the upper left atrium chamber of the heart. The patient is asleep under conscious sedation. Figure 2: The Pulmonary Veins (black ovals) are shown entering the Left Atrium (LA) from a posterior view of the chamber. The pulmonary veins are the major target areas of atrial fibrillation ablation. A special machine delivers radiofrequency energy through the catheters to the area where the pulmonary veins enter the left atrium. This energy delivered by the tip of the ablation catheter produces a circular scar that blocks any impulses firin
Related Questions
- I have serious heart problems and chronic heart disease along with Atrial Fibrillation. Would a Pulmonary Vein Ablation help me?
- How important is the assessment of quality of life after pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation?
- Is there an evidence of pulmonary vein stenosis following epicardial microwave ablation of atrial fibrillation?
