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Cardiac Ablation

What to expect at home

Avoid the following for 1 week after the procedure so the insertion site can heal:

  • sitting for more than 1 hour at a time
  • straining or pushing hard when having a bowel movement
  • heavy lifting (more than 10 lb.(4.5 kg)
  • intense activity like jogging

Your doctor may tell you to take a coated aspirin for up to 3 months after the ablation. This helps prevent blood clots. If you were taking blood thinner medicines before the ablation, you can keep taking them unless your doctor tells you not to.

Your doctor may order some tests to see if the ablation worked. You will also have a follow-up appointment with one of your doctors. If you have a permanent pacemaker or an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD), the clinic nurse will arrange for you to have other appointments.

Let your family doctor or cardiologist know if:

  • your heartbeat doesn’t seem normal (beats too hard, too fast or skips beats)
  • you have any symptoms such dizziness, chest discomfort, or fainting

If you have any of these symptoms, your doctor will send you for more tests and contact the electrophysiologist or the Cardiac Arrhythmia Clinic.


Current as of: September 20, 2019

Author: Cardiovascular Health and Stroke Strategic Clinical Network, AHS