Comprehensive Cardiac Electrophysiology & Complex Arrhythmia Ablation Services
The Day of Your Procedure
You will be given a date and time to report to the hospital for your procedure. After checking in, IV’s will be started in your arms, and you may have blood drawn for blood tests before the procedure starts. Women of child-bearing age may be asked to provide a urine specimen to exclude pregnancy. You will be asked to sign consent forms for the procedure itself.
When you are ready, you will be transported to the EP lab on the 8th floor of the hospital. Your family may wait either in your room, or in designated patient waiting rooms. Our MCG Electrophysiology Laboratory team is composed of Cardiac Electrophysiologists, EP nurses and EP technicians who are dedicated to providing you with outstanding, cutting edge care. You will interact with the entire team once in the EP lab.
During your procedure, our EP nurses update your family about the progress of the ablation on a regular basis via telephone. Once the procedure is completed, you will return to your room to recuperate. Patients are usually ready to begin eating within an hour of returning to their room. Depending on the level of anesthesia used for the procedure, you may recover briefly in the PACU on the 1st floor prior to returning to your room.
Some patients are allowed to go home the same day as their ablation. In other cases, you may be asked to spend the night and be released from the hospital the next morning. If you are allowed to go home the same day of your procedure, you will not be permitted to drive that day because of having received anesthesia. You will need to arrange a ride home with someone if same-day discharge is planned.
We recommend bringing a comfortable pair of pajamas, and basic toiletries if spending the night is planned or may be anticipated. You may bring a lap-top computer if desired.