Any info on cardiac ablation?

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Don't know if this was taught back when I was in nursing school, or I just never saw these, but I was looking around to see if anyone could shed any light on the subject on cardiac ablations. I am very familiar with cardiac caths, and pre during, and post op, but just never even saw anything on this subject.

Just wanted to see if anyone more experienced in this area may be able to give me some pointers. I have a cardiologist who said he will allow me to come in and observe his cases, but I was hoping for a little preview - nursing aspect or cath lab aspect, anything like that. It's been so long since I have gone into OR or cath lab/Endo to observe, just wanted a little info. I've been in the ER so long now, about the most we do there for this type of patient is transport them on up to the lab for the procedure after labs ect.

Thanks,

Anne, RNC

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/services/tests/procedures/ablation.aspx

http://www.sjm.com/procedures/procedure.aspx?name=Catheter+Ablation

These are just the top two hits I got on a simple Google search.

I have never personally had a post-op ablation patient, however I do understand the premise, and treatment. Sounds like the procedure is virtually like a cath, which I recently saw from the comfort of the little booth in the corner, watching the monitor.

Hope this helps.

Tait

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Tait - Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. Like I said, I'd never seen any of these, and wasn't sure how closely they would compare to caths, which I had seen. Your search found some sites I hadn't when I was searching. Not sure how I missed them.

Thanks! Anne, RNC

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Our EP lab is set up similar to a cath lab ,plus screens to read the data from the electrodes placed inside the heart chambers in order to map the electrical circuitry of the heart. These procedures can go on for what seems like forever, 4-6 hours, while the accessory pathways and foci are mapped and ablated.

The patient is positioned and draped in similar manner of a heart cath. The EP docs generally place 5 venous sheaths for access--2 in each femoral vein, and 1 R IJ. Occasionally they will also access a femoral artery, depending on the arrhythmia being treated.

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Our EP lab is set up similar to a cath lab ,plus screens to read the data from the electrodes placed inside the heart chambers in order to map the electrical circuitry of the heart. These procedures can go on for what seems like forever, 4-6 hours, while the accessory pathways and foci are mapped and ablated.

The patient is positioned and draped in similar manner of a heart cath. The EP docs generally place 5 venous sheaths for access--2 in each femoral vein, and 1 R IJ. Occasionally they will also access a femoral artery, depending on the arrhythmia being treated.

Thanks for posting this reply. I know it's been a year since the last post on this thread but I thought it was interesting to read about the procedure. I had the accessory pathway in my heart ablated (sp?) in August of 2009 to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Going through the experience as a patient has gotten me interested in cardiac nursing. Thanks again for your explanation.

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