Catheter ablation is one of the most effective treatments for atrial fibrillation (AFib), particularly when the goal is to maintain a normal heart rhythm.

What happens during ablation?

A heart rhythm specialist (electrophysiologist) threads thin catheters, usually through a vein in the groin, into the heart. The physician identifies areas triggering AFib—most commonly around the pulmonary veins—and creates small areas of scar tissue to electrically isolate those triggers.

The main technologies include:

• Radiofrequency ablation: uses heat.
• Cryoablation: uses extreme cold.
• Pulsed-field ablation (PFA): uses short electrical pulses to selectively affect heart tissue. PFA is a newer approach that is increasingly being used for AFib.

How effective is it?

For appropriately selected people, ablation generally reduces AFib recurrence and AFib burden more effectively than antiarrhythmic medications. In trials of people with paroxysmal AFib, recurrence of atrial arrhythmias was substantially lower after ablation than with medication.