There are many causes of abnormal heart rhythms Causes Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) are sequences of heartbeats that are irregular, too fast, too slow, or conducted via an abnormal electrical pathway through the heart. Heart disorders are... read more 
(arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle, such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine (in beverages and foods), and smoking. Other arrhythmias are dangerous or bothersome enough to need treatment. Ablation is one type of treatment. Other treatments for arrhythmias include insertion of a pacemaker Artificial Pacemakers There are many causes of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle,... read more 
or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) There are many causes of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle,... read more , cardioversion-defibrillation Cardioversion-Defibrillation There are many causes of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle,... read more 
, or use of antiarrhythmic drugs Drugs to Treat Abnormal Heart Rhythms There are many causes of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle,... read more .
Certain types of arrhythmias are due to a localized abnormal area in the heart’s electrical system. Destroying or removing that area (ablation) can sometimes eliminate the arrhythmia.
Most often, the abnormal area is destroyed by radiofrequency ablation (delivery of energy of a specific frequency through a catheter with a tiny electrode at its tip that is inserted into the heart). Ablation may also be done by freezing tissue (called cryoablation), destroying tissue with a laser (laser ablation), or by applying short bursts of high voltage electrical energy (called pulsed electrical field ablation).
Less commonly, the area is destroyed or removed during open heart surgery. Sometimes surgery is needed because catheter-based ablation was not effective. Other times, surgery is used because people are having heart surgery for another reason, such as to replace a heart valve.
Before ablation can be done, doctors do electrophysiologic testing Electrophysiologic Testing Electrophysiologic testing is used to evaluate serious abnormalities in heart rhythm or electrical conduction (see Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms). In people in whom an arrhythmia is already... read more to identify the precise area that needs to be destroyed or removed.
The success of ablation is different for different arrhythmias, ranging from 60 to 80% for more difficult arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are very fast electrical discharge patterns that make the atria (upper chambers of the heart) contract very rapidly, with some of the electrical impulses... read more , atrial tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia Ventricular Tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia is a heart rhythm that originates in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) and produces a heart rate of at least 120 beats per minute (the normal heart rate is... read more 
) to 90 to 95% for more responsive arrhythmias (supraventricular tachycardias). The procedure takes several hours, and the person is often able to go home the same day.
