Procedures

Your treatment for atrial fibrillation may also involve medical procedures such as:

• Cardioversion – low-voltage electrical shock is applied to the chest with paddles to restore a normal rhythm
• Ablation – a tube is inserted into a vein in the leg and threaded to the heart to fix the faulty electrical signals
• Surgical maze – small scar lines are made on the heart to create a “maze” that prevents or redirects the abnormal beats from controlling the heart. This is done through open-heart surgery.
• Pacemaker – an implantable device that prevents your heart rate from beating too slowly. This is used if your medications are causing too slow of a heart rate, or if an ablation is done to prevent your heart rate from going fast.