How is atrial flutter treated?
Atrial flutter treatment may begin with treating the condition that caused it. Treatment for atrial flutter itself includes medications and procedures.
Medicines work well for many people with atrial flutter. Any medicine can have side effects, but the benefits usually are greater than the risks. When medicines don’t work, your provider may recommend a procedure that can help.
Medications
Medicines for the treatment of atrial flutter include drugs that:
Procedures
Procedures to treat atrial flutter include:
using medicine or electrical shock
, a procedure a provider can use to destroy the tissue that’s creating abnormal signals
Temporary change in your pacemaker or
implantable cardioverter defibrillator
(ICD) setting
Complications of the treatment
Rarely, you can have complications from an ablation, including:
Infection
Bleeding
Injury to a
Blood clots
Stroke
How successful are the treatments?
Cardioversion works in 70% to 90% of people. Some people have less than a 5% chance of atrial flutter happening again after a catheter ablation. Others may have less successful procedures because of their type of atrial flutter. People with complex cases of atypical atrial flutter may have only a 70% success rate with ablation.
How long does it take to recover from this treatment?
After having an ablation, you can expect to have some limits for the first week. This means waiting a week before you drive a vehicle or lift more than 10 pounds.