Cardiac disease in pregnancy cardiac ablation

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Catheter ablation is indicated only in rare cases of intractable arrhythmia causing cardiac decompensation. Ablation is not routinely performed because of the high radiation dose involved with catheterization (1.5 mGy).

To minimize radiation to the pelvic and abdominal areas, the following steps may be considered:

• Radial approach rather than the femoral approach is preferred.
• Shield the gravid uterus to minimize radiation exposure
• Short fluoroscopic time minimizes radiation exposure

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