Cryoballoon ablation surgery

Dr Gary Wright is a leading expert in the field of cardiology with a wealth of experience, having performed thousands of ablation surgeries and hundreds of cryoballoon procedures throughout the course of his career.

All you have to do is focus on getting better.

This is a minimally invasive, day-case procedure that takes around one hour to complete. Your consultant will begin by placing two tubes (catheters) inside your vein. These catheters are fed into your heart, where your consultant will inflate a small balloon with gas inside of it. The cryoballoon is inflated in the left atrium and pushed against each of the pulmonary veins in turn. When the balloon is against your vein, it is frozen by gas that passes through the catheter. Where the balloon is in contact with the vein, it freezes the tissue. This frozen tissue acts as an electrical barrier, preventing abnormal electrical impulses that trigger atrial fibrillation (AF).

Your heart pumps blood around your body continuously, sending oxygen and nutrients to the right parts of your body to keep you alive. To pump your blood properly, your heart relies on a complex network of cells, often referred to as your heart's electrical system. When your heart conducts abnormal electrical signals, you might experience an irregular heartbeat and heart palpitations. Cryoballoon ablation helps permanently resolve this issue, replacing the need for lifelong medication to treat an irregular heartbeat.

This surgery is usually performed under general anaesthetic, meaning you won't be awake during it. 

Dr Wright has been performing this procedure for more than 10 years.

This procedure typically treats a condition that affects your heart called atrial fibrillation (AF), which causes your heart to beat irregularly. If you have AF, the top chambers of your heart (known as the atria) quiver, known as fibrillation. Your heart might beat irregularly or very quickly – and the condition causes other symptoms too. These include chest pain, tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and difficulty when exercising. The cause of AF varies, but risk factors include being overweight, ageing, having a high blood pressure, and smoking and drinking. More rarely, it can occur in young, highly active people too. 

AF can significantly impact your quality of life. It can interfere with your ability to exercise, and these symptoms often mimic those of anxiety (specifically panic attacks) which can be very unpleasant. Many people become worried about when palpitations and breathlessness might occur, and how these will interfere with their daily life. For example, some people don't want to go on holiday in fear of symptoms occurring when they are far from home.

If left untreated, AF can lead to heart failure, so it’s important to seek treatment for the condition. Many people treat AF with long-term medication instead of ablation treatment, but this can cause unwanted side effects. For example, some people struggle with extreme tiredness. 

There are many benefits to this procedure. This is a day-case procedure with a very short recovery period. You can return home on the same day and return to high impact exercise and your everyday activities, including driving and going to work, after just one week following surgery. You will have minimum scarring because it is a keyhole procedure, which many people prefer for aesthetic purposes. One of the key benefits of cryoballoon ablation is that it can eliminate the need for medication and permanently resolves the unpleasant symptoms caused by AF, including the anxiety that comes with the physical effects of the disease. You can get back doing the things you love within days of having the surgery, without the need for ongoing treatment. 

You will need a follow-up appointment with your consultant after three months to discuss how you’re doing and to ensure your symptoms have resolved. By this time, most people are back enjoying everyday life without symptoms. 

"This is a much more permanent and minimally invasive solution to medication for AF, and the recovery time is very fast. I see fantastic results with my patients who were previously struggling with the symptoms of AF such as anxiety and bad palpitations.”

Dr Gary Wright, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Ross Hall Hospital