{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02583276682528892, 'fraction_numerical': 0.010197144799456152, 'mean_word_length': 5.317596566523605, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Ablation therapy in atrial fibrillation

### What you need to know

Atrial fibrillation has a prevalence of 1% in the general population and 6% in those aged over 60 years. It increases the risk of stroke fivefold and doubles the risk of death.1 Although it is often asymptomatic, symptoms may include palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, and exercise intolerance and lead to a reduced quality of life.2

Atrial fibrillation can be managed with pharmacotherapy, but ablation therapy (catheter ablation) is an option for symptomatic patients who wish to avoid or cannot tolerate medication. Once a cardiologist has assessed that the patient is a suitable candidate for the procedure, patients may have further questions to put to their general practitioner or other care provider. To aid these discussions, this practice pointer outlines what ablation therapy entails, the potential risks, the likelihood of success, and postoperative advice.

The number of catheter ablation procedures carried out for atrial fibrillation has risen, with over 6000 procedures being performed annually in the UK (approximately 100/million population).3 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends the use of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for those whose atrial fibrillation is causing symptoms and who have not responded to, or wish to avoid, anti-arrhythmic medication or in whom such medication is contraindicated.4

### Normalising arrythmia

In …