catheter ablation patient information - arrhythmia alliance - home导管射频消融治疗心律失常病人信息联盟的家.pdfVIP

The Heart Rhythm Charity Promoting better understanding, diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for individuals with cardiac arrhythmias Registered Charity No. 1107496 ©2005 Catheter Ablation Patient Information Contents The heart during normal rhythm (sinus rhythm) Heart rhythm disturbances The ablation procedure After the ablation Risks and benefi ts The heart during normal rhythm (sinus rhythm) The heart is a muscular pump, which delivers blood, containing oxygen to the body. It is divided into two upper chambers, or “atria”, which collect blood returning via the veins, and two lower chambers or “ventricles”, which pump blood out through the aorta (main artery) and the lungs. Normally, the heart beats in a regular, organised way, at a rate of 60-100 beats per minute. This is because it is driven by the “sinus node”, a clump of specialised cells, which emit electrical impulses and is situated in the atria. These electrical impulses spread through the atria and then into the ventricles via a connecting cable (the “AV node”). The sinus node controls the timing of the heart, according to the needs of the body. An example of this is during exercise, when the heart rate speeds up. When the heart is beating normally like this, we refer to it as “sinus rhythm”, or “normal sinus rhythm”. The heart and normal conduction Sinus Node AV Node Atria Ventricles Conducting pathways Heart rhythm disturbances Sometimes the electrical conduction system in the heart travels in a different direction, due to extra electrical connections, known as “pathways”, or due to extra electrical cells within the heart. Often these pathways are present at birth, but may only start to work in adult