Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, treatment freezes heart tissue

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Atrial fibrillation, also known as "A-fib," affects about 2.5 million Americans. It's a condition that can cause heart palpitations, shortness of breath and dizziness. Experts say if A-fib is left untreated, it can be dangerous. Doctors now have a new way to treat the condition by freezing it out.

Terry Smith loves walking and wood-working, but the retired police officer had to slow down when he found out he had an irregular heartbeat.

"I think my heart rate was over 220 at one time," said Smith.

Terry had A-fib. Faulty electrical signals caused his heart to beat out of whack. If untreated, A-fib can lead to heart failure or stroke.

When medications fail, radiofrequency ablation is used to heat the heart and destroy tissue that causes the irregularity, but it isn't always effective.

"One of the most frustrating things is that we were doing these procedures and oftentimes, they weren't successful," said Dr. Jeffrey Banker, a heart rhythm specialist.

Now, instead of heating the heart, Banker is freezing hearts with cryoablation.

"It actually does cure it. It gets rid of the signals and gets rid of the arrhythmia altogether in many patients," said Banker.

Doctors thread a catheter through the groin and inject liquid coolant through a small balloon, freezing the heart tissue. This restores the heart's rhythm for about 90 percent of patients.

Terry had the procedure and is back to enjoying another one of his pastimes: collecting toy trains.

"I haven't been in A-fib since I had the procedure, this last one. I've been fine," said Smith.

Most cryoablation patients go home the same day and can resume normal activities the next day. Studies show cryoablation is less likely to damage heart tissue than radiofrequency ablation.