New FAQ: Does Ablation Reduce Heart’s Pumping Volume?
Our new Frequently Asked Questions & Answers (FAQs) is about the heart’s blood pumping capacity after an ablation.
“I’m a life-long runner. I recently got intermittent A-Fib. Does ablation (whether RF or Cryo) affect the heart’s blood pumping output potential because of the destruction of cardiac tissue? And if so, how much? One doc said it does.”
As a fellow runner, I understand your concern on how an ablation might affect your ability to resume your athletic activities.

Lesions at PVs openings
Seek Your Cure: Keep in mind, with Atrial Fibrillation you lose 15% to 30% of your heart’s normal pumping volume along with lower oxygen levels. Your body and brain aren’t getting the blood and nourishment they need. An catheter ablation is an important way to improve or restore your heart’s pumping volume.


Ablate as Little Tissue as Possible: A common ablation technique for paroxysmal A-Fib (using RF or Cryo), ablates only around the opening of each Pulmonary Vein (PV) and isn’t likely to affect the heart’s output.
On the other hand, more extensive lesion patterns affecting more tissue may affect the heart’s output. For example, during a PV Wide Area Antrum Ablation, instead of just ablating around each of the PV openings, large, oval lesions are made in the left atrium encircling both the upper and lower vein openings.
My Best Advice to Runners with Atrial Fibrillation
For a runner, a more extensive ablation of the left atrium may affect heart output more than circular lesions of each vein opening. …Continue reading my answer…