Cryoablation

Cryoablation is a technology for arrhythmia in cardiology and cardiac surgery. Here, the person responsible for the arrhythmia cardiac muscle tissue is deliberately cools. Cold has been used for decades for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Nowadays arrhythmias with a minimally invasive catheter ablation or surgical probe may be treated. Because Cryotherapy freezes the cells - in contrast to the heat- based radiofrequency ablation - it represents an alternative treatment option for electrophysiologists and cardiac surgeons

The tip of the cryoablation catheter is cooled down to temperatures below 0 ° C. Beyond the tip of the catheter is withdrawn from the heat surrounding tissue. Depending on the catheters used arise at the catheter tip temperatures of -75 ° C or even colder. From the patients, this cold is not perceived.

The heart muscle cells responsible for management of the arrhythmia be altered by the exposure to cold so that they can no longer conduct electrical impulses.

Testing the Ablationsortes

In contrast to heat- based ablation, cryoablation is associated with several advantages. When heart muscle cells are only slightly chilled, the doctor may test the fabric to the desired effect out before a permanent lesion is created. The catheter is not positioned in the correct place or undesirable effects occur, the cooling treatment is stopped and the fabric is heated again to the normal body temperature. Some doctors estimate the safety of this test before they create a lasting devastation that could be ineffective at this point.

Lower risk of AV nodal blocking

The AV node is part of the conduction system and directs the electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles. As tissue is ablated near the AV - node is the risk of blocking this AV nodal line - that is, the normal excitation of the atria can not be routed to the cardiac chambers. In this case, a pacemaker must be implanted ( inserted). Understandably, an AV node blocking a complication which should be avoided. Some doctors estimate the test characteristics of cryotherapy, since ablation near the AV node, the probability of an AV nodal blocking is lower than with the use of heat.

Less pain

In contrast to ablation with heat cryoablation is largely painless.

Success rates

The success rate of therapy using cryoablation is high, but will vary depending on the type of treated arrhythmia. In general, the success rate is comparable to that of heat- based ablation. Recent experience and studies show that in some cases, cryotherapy is more secure than conventional radiofrequency ablation. In particular, when the region to be treated, such as the AV node is located in close proximity to sensitive structures of the heart.

Cryotherapy in cardiac surgery

As with catheter-based procedures, cooling for the treatment of arrhythmias can be used in cardiac surgery. For surgical procedures, a flexible probe is placed either from the inside ( eg as part of endocardial mitral valve surgery ) or from outside the heart ( epicardial eg during cardiac bypass surgery ). By exposure to cold, the myocardial tissue, which is responsible for the arrhythmia is scarred. This results in a lesion, which may not conduct electrical stimuli. This arrhythmia or their propagation is prevented.