EPICARDIAL ABLATION

Transcatheter epicardial ablation using radiofrequency is a procedure that allows the treatment of many arrhythmias and consists in the elimination of complex arrhythmias often localized in the ventricles (mainly left). The ablation is performed after the electrophysiological study and in most cases is performed in the same session. In the case in which the arrhythmia is localized on the epicardial surface (i.e. the outermost part of the heart, its surface) an epicardial approach is necessary to reach the site to be treated. The procedure must be performed under general anesthesia because it is necessary to obtain access to the epicardium by percutaneous subxiphoid access (puncture under the sternum with a special needle and insertion of a small tube) or surgically with the creation of a subxiphoid window (small incision of 4 cm under the sternum).