1 – 2% (1 – 2 in 100) risk of serious complications such as stroke, heart attack or cardiac tamponade (a collection of blood in the sac which surrounds the heart which compresses the heart).

The doctor recommending the procedure will have explained these risks to you in clinic and will talk you through them again on the day of your procedure, but in summary they are as indicated below:

Death and serious complications related to the procedure are very rare but can still, unfortunately sometimes occur. Like all invasive procedures pulmonary vein isolation does carry a small amount of risk. In some cases, it may even be possible for the anticoagulant and some other medication to be discontinued at a later date. In anticipation for the procedure your doctor will usually have prescribed an anticoagulant, which stops the blood from clotting normally and reduces the risk of stroke.īy returning the heart to a normal rhythm, we aim to make your heart work more efficiently and hopefully eliminate some of the symptoms we believe to be associated with the atrial fibrillation. This can make the heart muscle less efficient and increases the risk of developing a blood clot in the heart chambers which could cause a stroke.

You will have been diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation which has been causing you symptoms, most commonly breathlessness, palpitations, tiredness and possibly light headedness.Ītrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) are not beating normally. Why do I need a Pulmonary Vein Isolation? What is a Pulmonary Vein Isolation?Ī pulmonary vein isolation ablation is a procedure which is offered if you have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (a specific type of irregular heart beat), which is causing some unpleasant symptoms or which cannot be managed effectively by medication. If after reading it, you require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team. It is not meant to replace discussion between you and the healthcare team, but may act as a starting point for discussion. This advice sheet has been produced to give you information about an atrial fibrillation ablation also known as a pulmonary vein isolation procedure. Need some help choosing a language? Please refer to Browsealoud Supported Voices and Languages. You can translate this page by using the headphones button (bottom left) and then select the globe to change the language of the page.

Cpt code of atrial flutter ablation