Authors

• Martina Kralj — University Hospital Centre „Sestre milosrdnice“, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-4520-7123
• Dorotea Vuk — University Hospital Centre „Sestre milosrdnice“, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-0697-4730
• Manuela Šola — University Hospital Centre „Sestre milosrdnice“, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-9258-0828
• Snježana Gašpar — University Hospital Centre „Sestre milosrdnice“, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-6954-0393

Keywords

radiofrequency ablation, medical care

DOI

Full Text

A cardiac electrophysiology study is an invasive procedure that is used for analysis of the heart conduction system and determines the presence of cardiac arrhythmias. Besides determining the existence of an arrhythmia, it also determines the cause, source and the mechanism of occurrence of the arrhythmia. If an arrhythmia is found during the procedure, the procedural approach becomes therapeutic. One of the ways to intervene is the radiofrequency ablation. It represents a controlled local tissue heating that terminates the arrhythmia at its source. (1) The success of the procedure mostly depends on the type of arrhythmia and the structural disease of the heart. Since it’s an invasive procedure, certain complications can happen during or after catheter radiofrequency ablation. The complications that happen during the procedure can be associated with any part of the procedure: during sheath placement, associated with continuous sedation and anesthesia, insertion and manipulation of catheter leads inside blood vessels and cavities of the heart or application of radiofrequent energy. The role of the nurse as a member of a multidisciplinary team is crucial both inside the interventional laboratory where the procedure is performed, as well as on the ward where the care for the patient is continued. Besides physical and mental preparation of the patient before the procedure and providing physical help and psychological support post-procedurally, the role of the nurse in recognizing potential complications is of utmost importance. Those can be a hematoma on the puncture site, bleeding, mechanical traumas to the heart – tamponade, pericardial effusion, thromboembolism, conduction disorders and death. Nurse has to monitor the symptoms and signs that indicate a certain complication is taking place and act in a timely and correct manner. Good organization of ward duties and patient monitoring on a hospital ward is of great importance both for the patient and the nurse.

Literature

1. Chalupka AN. Radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. AAOHN J. 2010;58:220. https://doi.org/10.3928/08910162-20100428-04