Orlando Health — Dr. P. Phillips Hospital now conducted atrial fibrillation ablation procedures

Dr. Carlos Arrieta, a cardiac electrophysiologist with Orlando Health, treated an 80-year-old man with atrial fibrillation. 

Arrieta said the patient wasn’t able to do activities he loved because of this common irregular heart rhythm. 

So Arrieta conducted an atrial fibrillation ablation on the patient, giving him the ability to return to normalcy and restoring a sense of joy in his life.

It’s cases like this that make Arrieta pleased that Orlando Health now is conducting atrial fibrillation ablation surgeries at Orlando Health — Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. 

Previously, atrial fibrillation ablation procedures only were performed at Orlando Health’s downtown campus through the Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute. 

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is a common heart rhythm disorder that affects about 10.5 million people in the U.S. Arrieta said AFib becomes more common with age and increases the risk of stroke.

“As our aging population gets older, this number will only increase,” said Arrieta, who has been a cardiologist and electrophysiologist for more than 20 years. “For us, it’s very important to try to diagnose AFib and treat it as soon as possible.”

AFib can be asymptomatic, so Arrieta encourages people to follow up with their primary care doctor and get checkups. 

Most common symptoms of atrial fibrillation, Arrieta said, are palpitations, feeling their heart racing, shortness of breath, fatigue and other symptoms. 

“It might be people who enjoy going on walks or playing tennis or pickleball or playing any kind of sport, and they just feel they can’t do those things anymore because they get too tired too quickly,” he said. 

Atrial fibrillation ablation is one of the ways to treat the heart rhythm disorder. 

Arrieta said the procedure aims to correct the faulty electrical signals in the left upper chamber of the heart disrupting a normal heartbeat by creating small scars in the heart tissue that block the abnormal signals. The procedure is performed by inserting thin catheters through a vessel in the groin. 

“Another benefit of these procedures is that, when successful, it can restore normal heart rhythm,” Arrieta said. “It reduces or eliminates most of the symptoms of patients with atrial fibrillation and improves the quality of life of these patients significantly. In some cases, it might reduce the need for medication.” 

Now, patients no longer have to drive to downtown Orlando to receive the procedure that Arrieta said he performs two to three times per week. 

“Adding this procedure to Dr. Phillips and expanding this to other Orlando Health hospitals allows us to be able to provide this life-changing procedure to more people,” Arrieta said. 

Having the procedure available at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital means people won’t have to travel as far. 

“(Because) this procedure is done very often in people who are elderly, sometimes they have a fear of traveling or going to different hospitals or to a setting that’s unknown to them,” Arrieta said. “This is providing that easier access to them in a geographical location that’s closer to where they live. It provides patients easier access to be close to their loved ones to be able to visit them in a hospital that’s closer to their geographical location.”

The most important benefit of having the atrial fibrillation ablation, and the most rewarding part for Arrieta, is the procedure gives people their life back, he said. 

“With every single person that has this procedure, especially when it’s as successful as we want it to be, you get stories of how (patients) can play with their grandkids or how people can play a game with their kids or how people are able to go back to work and enjoy the things they wanted to enjoy,” Arrieta said.

Although no procedure comes without risk, Arrieta said patients shouldn’t fear having an atrial fibrillation ablation. He encourages patients to talk with their doctors and discuss the risks and benefits of the procedure to help make an informed decision. 

“I want to make sure that when they leave the office or when they get the diagnosis of AFib, that it’s not something they need to be scared of because it’s something we can manage,” Arrieta said. “Although our understanding and our treatment still is not perfect, we have the tools available to protect them against stroke, which will always be the most important thing.”