Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance we treat. It happens when chaotic electrical activity in the heart’s upper chambers (atria) overrides the heart’s natural pacemaker, causing an irregular — and often fast — heartbeat.
AF can cause prolonged, uncomfortable palpitations, and it also raises the risk of stroke, which is why getting it properly assessed matters.
Treatment aims to ease palpitations, either by slowing the heart rate or by restoring a normal rhythm, using medication, an ablation procedure, or both. We’ll also assess and reduce your stroke risk, usually with medication.
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Atrial Flutter
Atrial flutter is closely related to AF and carries a similar stroke risk, but works differently: rather than chaotic activity, it’s caused by a single electrical “short circuit,” usually in the top-right chamber of the heart. Some patients with flutter go on to develop AF too.
Treatment usually combines medication to manage stroke risk and symptoms with ablation, which is often the preferred long-term solution — flutter ablation is typically more straightforward than AF ablation.
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Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
SVT is a regular but rapid rhythm disturbance, usually caused by an extra electrical connection in the heart that creates a short circuit. Episodes typically start and stop abruptly — anywhere from daily to once a year — and produce a sudden sensation of a racing heart.
Treatment can involve tablets, but most cases of SVT are curable with a single ablation procedure that modifies the abnormal circuit.
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Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
VT originates in the heart’s lower chambers. It’s usually linked to an underlying heart condition — such as a previous heart attack, heart failure, or an inherited heart condition — though it can also occur in a structurally normal heart.
In a normal heart, VT generally carries a good prognosis and is treated with medication or ablation. Where there’s underlying heart disease, VT can cause dizziness or blackouts and needs more careful management, often combining tablets, a defibrillating pacemaker (ICD), and ablation.