Soquel Rey

Date Approved

2016

Date Posted

4-27-2016

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

Health Promotion and Human Performance

First Advisor

Sheldon Levine

Abstract

Excitable groups of cells within the human heart can cause premature or abnormal heart beats which can further develop into dangerous, arrhythmias. Cardiac Ablation is a newer therapeutic method developed to treat these various types of arrhythmias. The American Heart Association defines cardiac ablation as, "a therapeutic method used to destroy a small section of heart tissue causing abnormal electrical activity or irregular heartbeat." Ablative therapy has become the preferred method of treatment for several arrhythmias such as AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT), focal atria tachycardia, and atrial flutter (AFL). Ablative techniques are also being used and tested for their efficacy in treating more complicated arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). This study will analyze cardiac ablation techniques and compare its treatment efficacy to traditional or pharmaceutical forms of treatment for these specific arrhythmias.

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