• MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute
  • Doctors
  • Appointments
  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Locations
  • Search
  • Menu
Don’t delay your care! Call 888-354-3422 to schedule a video visit with a specialist today!

Find a doctor or specialist that meet your needs

Need Help? Email [email protected]

Close Menu
    • Find a Doctor
    • Find a Location
    • Request an Appointment
 

Newsroom

For Patients

  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Programs and Services
  • Patient Resources
  • Why Choose Us
  • Ways to Give

For Medical Professionals

  • Careers
  • Educational Opportunities
  • Publications and Case Studies
  • Research
arrow_back Conditions & Treatments

Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Call for an appointment or referral
888-354-3422

email Email a Question
menu Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
  • Overview
    • Conditions
    • Tests
    • Physicians
    • Locations
  • Overview arrow_forward
  • Conditions arrow_forward
  • Tests arrow_forward
  • Physicians arrow_forward
  • Locations arrow_forward

Minimally invasive procedure to destroy heart tissue causing an arrhythmia

Expert Heart & Vascular Care

Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our heart or vascular specialists.

Request an Appointment

Instead of open-heart surgery, this procedure uses a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to create scarring in the heart muscle in order to eliminate erratic electrical signals and restore a normal heart rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

The doctors in our Electrophysiology Program have expertise in performing many types of atrial fibrillation ablation and are national leaders in the use of cryoablation, which uses cold, rather than heat, to disable damaged tissue. This option can be less painful for patients and is less likely to affect healthy heart tissue.

What to expect during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

You may be given a sedative to help you relax, but you will remain awake throughout the procedure. A local anesthetic will be injected to numb the area in the arm or groin where the doctor will insert the catheter. They will guide it through a blood vessel to the heart and send small electrical impulses through an electrode catheter to identify the abnormal tissue causing the arrhythmia. The doctor will then send a mild, painless burst of heat or cold through the catheter to cause tiny scars and correct the irregular heartbeat. The procedure takes two to four hours, and you’ll likely be able to go home the same day.

Electrophysiology Program

We are leaders in developing and using the latest procedures and technologies to treat heart rhythm disorders, and our cardiac electrophysiology laboratory is one of the most sophisticated in North America.

Learn More

Conditions

Arrhythmia (Heart Rhythm Disorders)

An arrhythmia is an abnormal or irregular heartbeat caused by a disturbance in the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rate. This can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly.

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)

Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a type of arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat) in which the heart’s two upper chambers do not beat in sync with the two lower chambers.

Tests

Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart and chest wall.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.

Event Monitors

An event monitor is a small device that records the heart’s electrical activity. It’s similar to an electrocardiogram, but where an electrocardiogram takes place over a few minutes, an event monitor measures heart rhythms over a much longer time.

Holter Monitors

A Holter monitor is a small device that records the heart’s electrical activity. It’s similar to an electrocardiogram, but whereas an electrocardiogram records over a few minutes, a Holter monitor records over the course of a day or two.

Stress Tests

Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms and chemically induced stress tests.

Physicians

View all arrow_forward
18 Doctors & Specialists
Dr. Manish H. Shah, MD
Dr. Manish H. Shah, MD
Electrophysiology
(304)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite 5A-14 Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Athanasios Thomaides, MD
Dr. Athanasios Thomaides, MD
Electrophysiology
(297)
3800 Reservoir Road Northwest 5th Floor Washington, DC 20007
(301) 877-5677
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Walter L. Atiga, MD
Dr. Walter L. Atiga, MD
Electrophysiology
8640 Sudley Road Suite 302 Manassas, VA 20110
(703) 208-7257
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Susan O'Donoghue, MD
Dr. Susan O'Donoghue, MD
Electrophysiology
(257)
110 Irving Street Northwest Room 5A-12 Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Glenn Robert Meininger, MD
Dr. Glenn Robert Meininger, MD
Electrophysiology
(182)
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
410-554-6727
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Zayd Adnan Eldadah, MD, PhD
Dr. Zayd Adnan Eldadah, MD, PhD
Electrophysiology
(405)
3800 Reservoir Road Northwest Washington, DC 20007
(202) 877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Sarfraz A. Durrani, MD
Dr. Sarfraz A. Durrani, MD
Electrophysiology
(369)
3020 Hamaker Court Suite 502 Fairfax, VA 22031
(703) 208-7257
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Michael S. Goldstein, MD
Dr. Michael S. Goldstein, MD
Electrophysiology
(413)
2002 Medical Parkway Suite 500 Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 573-6480
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Rafique Ahmed, MD
Dr. Rafique Ahmed, MD
Electrophysiology
(151)
9105 Franklin Square Drive WHITE SQUARE PROF BLDG Rosedale, MD 21237
410-554-6727
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Cyrus A. Hadadi, MD
Dr. Cyrus A. Hadadi, MD
Electrophysiology
505 Bryn Street Cambridge, MD 21613
(202) 877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Edward V. Platia, MD
Dr. Edward V. Platia, MD
Electrophysiology
(165)
110 Irving Street Northwest 5th Floor Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Margaret B. Fischer, MD
Dr. Margaret B. Fischer, MD
Electrophysiology | Adult Congenital Cardiac Disease
(320)
3020 Hamaker Court Suite 502 Fairfax, VA 22031
(703) 208-7257
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Sunjeet Singh Sidhu, MD
Dr. Sunjeet Singh Sidhu, MD
Electrophysiology | Internal Medicine
3001 South Hanover Street Gruehn Bldg Ste 301 Baltimore, MD 21225
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Sung W. Lee, MD
Dr. Sung W. Lee, MD
Electrophysiology
7501 Surratts Road Suite 304 Clinton, MD 20735
301-877-5677
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. David A. Strouse, MD
Dr. David A. Strouse, MD
Electrophysiology
(388)
3020 Hamaker Court Suite 502 Fairfax, VA 22031
(703) 208-7257
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Jay Aaron Mazel, MD
Dr. Jay Aaron Mazel, MD
Electrophysiology
(334)
18101 Prince Philip Drive Suite 4100 Olney, MD 20832
(202) 416-2000
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Seth J. Worley, MD
Dr. Seth J. Worley, MD
Electrophysiology
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7685
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. David J. Schamp, MD
Dr. David J. Schamp, MD
Electrophysiology
(151)
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
410-554-6727
View Profile
Request Appointment
loading

Locations

View all arrow_forward
5 locations found
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
201 East University Parkway Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-2266
View Location
Get Directions
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving Street Northwest Washington, DC 20010
202-877-3627
View Location
Get Directions
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
3800 Reservoir Road Northwest MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC 20007
(202) 342-2400
View Location
Get Directions
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
18101 Prince Philip Drive MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD 20832
(301) 570-7404
View Location
Get Directions
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center
7503 Surratts Road MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Clinton, MD 20735
(301) 877-4367
View Location
Get Directions
loading
Download our Cardiovascular Performance & Outcomes Booklet!
Download
  • Find a Doctor 
  • Find a Location location_on
  • Request an Appointment today
  • myMedStar lock
  • Don't Show Again Close close
     
     Don't show this to me again
     
    Top vertical_align_top   Quick Tools
     

    MEDSTARHEALTH.ORG

    Request an Appointment
    Call for an appointment or referral
    888-354-3422
    Patients & Visitors
    • Patients & Visitors
      • Doctors
      • Locations
      • Programs and Services
      • Conditions & Treatments
      • myMedStar
      • Patient Resources
      • Patient Stories
      • About Us
      • Why Choose Us
    Medical Professionals
    • Medical Professionals
      • Careers
      • Educational Opportunities
      • Resources
    Research & Resources
    • Research & Resources
      • Cleveland Clinic Alliance
      • Clinical Trials Research
      • Innovations
      • Resources
      • Research and Innovations
    Ways to Give Back
    • Give Back
    Stay Connected

    Stay Connected

    Ride With Uber | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Feedback © 2019 MEDSTAR HEALTH