Hi, it’s a very safe procedure. Basically a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel in your groin and is passed into the into the chambers of your heart ( guided by an X-ray). The tip of the catheter will then destroy a small section of tissue that triggers the abnormal electrical impulses. The risks are very low. They will give you a local anaesthetic to numb the entry site, you won’t really feel anything, perhaps some mild discomfort. You may be given some sedation too. The mortality rate is as low as 0.1-0.2%.

Stop the worries! Get that WPW cured! I had an eblation at age 37 at the U. of MIch. hospital. It is a routine procedure these days and considered day surgery.

The worse part is the waiting (post op) to be able to get up again and leave. As I recall, WPW means they will go in through both legs with a cath. to get to both sides of ur heart to correct the short-circuiting the WPW is cauing.

After mine was cured I wondered why I waited so long and let the local (quack) cardiologist talk me into trying all those stupid drugs first! Nowadays, electrocardiology is it’s own subspecialty…that wasn’t true a few years back & general cardio guys were somewhat in the dark about this.

I now lead a normal life…I run, bike and control my weight. E-mail me if you like for more info on this…

Many thanks to Dr. Al Waldo!

I see you’ve gotten 2 good answers. Really, this is a common procedure now a days. The hardest part really is not being able to move for a while in bed…and that is important. It is usually a day procedure, although, depending on the time of day you’re scheduled, you might end up staying overnight. Don’t worry, don’t stress. Relax, and tell your doc about your anxiety, so you can have something to help you relax before the procedure. Good luck.

Treatment of WPW by catheter ablation is a routine and extremely safe procedure carried out in many hospitals in the UK. As previously explained a catheter is passed from the groin via the femoral vein and is positioned within the heart. The cardiologist will then attempt to start the abnormal rhythm, they do this in order to be able to map where in the heart it is originating from. For most adults this is done under local anaesthetic as this increases the success of starting the abnormal rhythm.

Once the rhythm has been mapped the cardiologist will apply energy via a special ablation catheter and will burn a small area of the heart muscle. they will then try and start the abnormal rhythm again. If needed further ablations are performed.

Throughout the procedure you will no doubt be sedated to help reduce your anxiety.

AS previously stated these procedures are normally day case admission but may require an overnight stay. The procedure can take anything from 2 hours to 6 hours to perform depending on how easy it is to start the rhythm and map it successfully.

However you must be aware that in a small proportion of cases the ablation may not be sufficient and they symptoms may reoccur and a further procedure may be required at a later date.

this procedure is carried out routinely in Children from as young as 4 and in adults in is a routine and frequent service.