Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on High intensity focused ultrasound ablation of atrial tissue for atrial fibrillation as an associated procedure with other cardiac surgery in July 2006. In accordance with the Interventional Procedures Programme process guide, guidance on procedures with special arrangements are reviewed 3 years after publication and the procedure is reassessed if important new evidence is available.
The guidance was considered for reassessment in October 2009 and it was concluded that NICE will not be updating this guidance at this stage. However, if you believe there is new evidence which should warrant a review of our guidance, please contact us via the email address below.
Description
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the irregular and rapid beating of the upper two chambers of the heart (the atria). This is caused by a disruption in the electrical impulses that control the heartbeat. Symptoms, if present, can include palpitations, dizziness, breathlessness and fatigue. This procedure uses an ultrasound device to send a focused beam of ultrasound energy to burn and destroy a targeted area of the heart in order to disrupt the abnormal electrical impulses.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance.