Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get StartedResults
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough catheter ablation is often successful, some people need repeat procedures. You may also need to take medications, even after you've had ablation.
To keep your heart healthy, you may need to make lifestyle changes that improve the overall health of your heart, especially to prevent or treat conditions that can cause or worsen arrhythmias, such as high blood pressure. Your doctor may suggest that you:
- Avoid caffeine
- Reduce your salt intake, which can help lower blood pressure
- Increase your physical activity
- Quit smoking
- Avoid drinking alcohol
- Eat heart-healthy foods and maintain a healthy weight
- Catheter ablation. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ablation/ablation_all.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Arnsdorf MF, et al. Catheter ablation for ventricular arrhythmias. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Cheng J, et al. Radiofrequency catheter ablation to prevent recurrent atrial fibrillation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Ganz LI. Catheter ablation of cardiac ablation: Overview and technical aspects. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Ablation. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=6. Accessed June 1, 2009.