23
Oct
Ablation can control atrial fibrillation, lower risk of stroke
Approximately 2.2 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, which means that the two small upper chambers of the heart are not pumping blood effectively.
As a result of this poor pumping, blood can pool and clot in the heart. If these clots leave the heart, they can become lodged in an artery in the brain, causing a stroke. Approximately 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.
"In addition to being the leading cause of stroke in the United States, atrial fibrillation can cause palpitations, fluttering the chest, difficulty breathing and fatigue," Dr. Mohammed Khan, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated cardiologist in Chicago, says.
Atrial fibrillation can be controlled with medication, but Dr. Khan says that these medications don't work all that well and also carry many side effects.
"Ablation is a good alternative to medication," Dr. Khan says. "The use of ablation only started about 13 years ago but, since then, it's gotten much more standardized and accepted into practice. The Heart Rhythm Association guidelines now indicate ablation as a second line treatment if medications don't work."
Ablation is not a surgical procedure in the common sense because it does not require cutting.
"What we do is insert tubes or catheters into the groin that we then take into the left upper chamber of the heart to find the triggers, or the areas which are electrically active, for the atrial fibrillation," Dr. Khan says. "It's a totally new way of looking at it. The use of this method has dramatically increased over the last few years."
Most patients, Dr. Khan says, are able to get up and walk out of the hospital following the procedure.
"Sometimes, patients are kept in the hospital while they are placed back on blood thinners," Dr. Khan says. "There are not cuts to recover from, however, so it's just recovery from the anesthetics given during the procedure."
The success rate for atrial fibrillation is around 70 percent in selected populations over the course of one or two years, though Dr. Khan says that there hasn't been enough long term data to suggest if the procedure is a permanent fix.
"Compared to the therapies we had before, like medications that weren't that great, this is an improvement," Dr. Khan says.
For the best results, Dr. Khan says, patients need to seek out doctors who are experienced and have performed this procedure numerous times.
"To get the best success, and what really sets a doctor apart at this procedure, is the use of a comprehensive program," Dr. Khan says. "I've done a fair numbers of these procedures and have the necessary training and experience."
Dr. Mohammed Khan, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Cardiology in Chicago. He specializes in atrial fibrillation, ablation and ICDs.
