If tests show that you have a structurally normal heart, you are unlikely to need treatment. The condition is probably benign.
Simple lifestyle measures will be sufficient to improve or eliminate symptoms.
Lifestyle measures include:
Medications may also suppress the ectopics and improve symptoms. Read our blog to learn more about improving heart health: How to keep your heart healthy.
Catheter ablation
We may use catheter ablation if the ectopic beats originate from one site. This procedure involves passing fine wires into the heart from the top of the leg in a minimally invasive/non-surgical procedure. We create a virtual 3D geometry of your heart using a computer mapping system.
Using electrical signals from within your heart, we locate the exact site of origin of the ectopic beats and deliver high-frequency energy to eliminate the abnormal beats. The procedure is minimally invasive and does not involve surgery. Most patients are discharged home on the same day.
Catheter ablation is very safe. It carries a high success rate in appropriate patients of over 85%. The risks from the procedure are small and are in the region of 1-2%. These risks include vascular complications (bleeding from the leg) and, less frequently, bleeding around the heart.
We usually treat bleeding around the heart with a small drain inserted from the front of the chest without requiring an operation. Catheter ablation rarely results in emergency surgery or the need for a permanent pacemaker.
Watch our video FAQs to learn more about catheter ablation.