Although rare, heart arrhythmias in children can be troublesome and sometimes lethal if not treated properly. At American Family Children's Hospital, a pediatric electrophysiology and pacing (pediatric EP) program was created to give referring physicians and parents a convenient, curative treatment option for children who present with abnormally fast heart rhythms such as Wolf-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome.

 

Palpitations, light-headedness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort and fainting are a few of the typical symptoms children may experience with arrhythmias that cause the heart to pump abnormally. Now, a highly trained sub-specialist in Madison is available for those children diagnosed with a heart rhythm abnormality.

 

 

Radiofrequency ablation was first performed on children in the U.S. in the late 1980s. The catheter procedure identifies and cures the arrhythmia by eliminating an abnormal electrical circuit in the heart. As a curative treatment, catheter ablation has virtually replaced the need for high-risk ablation surgery or an indefinite course of medication that can cause side effects such as fatigue, exercise intolerance and diminished heart function.

 

The procedure takes two to four hours. When preparation is complete, a catheter is inserted into the heart through a vessel in the neck and thighs. Then, after pinpointing the site of the arrhythmia, electrophysiologists move the catheter to the site and use a technique called radio-frequency ablation to eliminate the arrhythmia.

 

 

American Family Children’s Hospital offers families the very latest care to ensure the best outcome for their child. Very few hospitals offer biplane fluoroscopy with cineangio-cardiogram capability - a technology that gives specialists an extra camera angle, yielding incredibly precise imagery of the ablation site.

 

Intra-cardiac mapping catheters and state-of-the-art equipment allow for standard and 3-D electro-anatomic mapping of simple and complex arrhythmias.

 

Most ablation patients go home the day of the procedure and are able to return to full activity within a week.