Patient Resources

The best health choices are decisions you make for yourself when you have enough information and support. You are unique and your treatment should reflect your needs and goals. You may be a candidate for catheter ablation if your quality of life has changed since you developed the arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation (AF). AFcan significantly affect your lifestyle, and our experience suggests that your quality of life can be improved with appropriate therapy.

 AF ablation may be twice as likely to provide you with a life free of AF compared to medications.

Some symptoms of AF may be:

  • Palpitations or racing heart
  • Fatigue, tiredness or decreased exercise tolerance—some people find they cannot do what they used to and may be gaining weight from the lower level of activity
  • Complications from the atrial fibrillation, such as heart failure with shortness of breath and water-retention weight gain
  • Fainting, dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Side effects from the medications or trouble taking them

Not everyone experiences the common symptoms.

It’s important to know that  you may not be aware of the AF, meaning you may not feel your heart action change (palpitations), but the AF may still affect you. The AF still can change how your heart works as a pump. Some people cut back their activities to avoid the fatigue or other discomforts without pinpointing that the AF is the reason.

You may be a candidate for catheter ablation if you have:

  • Symptomatic paroxysmal AF
  • Recently converted to persistent AF

How Do You Find Out if Ablation is for You?

We’ll review your medical records to find out about your heart function. It’s important to know how strong your heart is and if it is enlarged (thickened muscle) or stretched (dilated). The information about the heart will help plan the procedure and help anticipate your chance of success.

Before we schedule your ablation, we need to learn about your general health to uncover any conditions that may influence your care. We may find something that needs treatment to reduce your AF. We may find a condition that we need to manage carefully during the procedure to increase the safety of the procedure for you.

The symptoms of many heart rhythm disorders or arrhythmias can feel similar. One of the first things we verify is that your rhythm is AF. Some other arrhythmias like atrial flutter and other supraventricular tachycardias can be mistaken for AF. If we find you have other heart rhythm disorders, we will discuss their impact on you and work with you to make a plan that may include a different type of ablation.

To consult with us, just call or contact us. You will be able to speak to a nurse or other health professional and have your questions answered about AF and ablation. We will help you set up an appointment or personal consultation with our physicians.

Please send us a fax for release of your medical records (PDF, 27 KB) if your health care provider requires written permission to send the Aurora’s Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Center your medical records.

Our Treatment Facilities

We perform catheter ablations of atrial fibrillation in the Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc. hospitals below. Find information about these hospitals and directions below:

Discounted Rates at Local Motels/Hotels

Many of our patients travel to Milwaukee for their care. Several local accommodations offer discounted rates when you come to our facilities.

Understanding Atrial Fibrillation

View a short video explaining atrial fibrillation.

Related Information:

Heart Rhythm Society
Heart Rhythm Society information about atrial fibrillation
Heart Rhythm Society information about treatment options
Heart Rhythm Society printable pages