Cardiac Ablation in Spanish

What it means

Cardiac ablation is a procedure that is used to scar small areas in the heart that may be involved in heart rhythm problems, which can prevent abnormal electrical signals or rhythms from moving through the heart. MedlinePlus describes two methods: radiofrequency ablation, which uses heat energy, and cryoablation, which uses very cold temperatures. A small, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel and guided up into the heart, and small wires called electrodes measure the heart's electrical activity; when the source of the problem is found, the tissue causing it is destroyed. MedlinePlus says the procedure is done in a hospital laboratory, is used for certain heart rhythm problems that medicines are not controlling, and lists catheter ablation among its alternative names.

Spanish term: Ablación cardíaca
Gender and article: feminine: la ablación cardíaca
Pronunciation: ah-blah-SYOHN kar-DEE-ah-kah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
ablación con catéter	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español among the alternative names for cardiac ablation procedures.

Ablación cardíaca is the form MedlinePlus en español uses, on a page titled Procedimientos de ablación cardíaca, and it is feminine: la ablación cardíaca. The Spanish dictionary marks ablación as a feminine noun whose medical sense is extirpación de cualquier parte del cuerpo, the removal of any part of the body. MedlinePlus en español lists ablación con catéter among its alternative names, and the Spanish page of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) heads its section Ablación por catéter.

MedlinePlus en español names the two methods ablación por radiofrecuencia and crioablación. Words that page uses alongside the term are catéter, which it describes as a sonda pequeña y flexible, electrodos (electrodes), cicatriz (scar) and problemas del ritmo cardíaco (heart rhythm problems). The NHLBI's Spanish page says the ablation is done through a procedure called cateterismo cardíaco and gives arritmia as another name for irregular heartbeats.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My cardiologist says I may need a cardiac ablation. What does that involve?	Mi cardiólogo dice que tal vez necesite una ablación cardíaca. ¿En qué consiste?
Clinician	We guide a thin tube called a catheter through a blood vessel up to your heart.	Guiamos un tubo delgado llamado catéter por un vaso sanguíneo hasta su corazón.
Patient	Will I feel pain during the procedure?	¿Voy a sentir dolor durante el procedimiento?
Clinician	You will get medicine to help you relax, and we will numb the skin first.	Le daremos un medicamento para ayudarle a relajarse, y primero le adormeceremos la piel.
Patient	How long does the ablation take?	¿Cuánto dura la ablación?
Clinician	It can take four hours or more, and we will watch your heart closely the whole time.	Puede durar cuatro horas o más, y vigilaremos su corazón de cerca todo el tiempo.
Patient	Can I go home the same day, or do I stay overnight?	¿Puedo irme a casa el mismo día, o me quedo a pasar la noche?
Clinician	We will decide after the procedure. You will need someone to drive you home.	Lo decidiremos después del procedimiento. Va a necesitar que alguien le lleve a casa.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Cardiac Ablation
Spanish (Español)	Ablación cardíaca
Chinese (中文)	心臟消融術
Korean (한국어)	심장 절제술
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Triệt phá tim mạch
Filipino (Tagalog)	Cardiac ablation
Portuguese (Português)	Ablação cardíaca
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การจี้หัวใจ
Japanese (日本語)	心臓アブレーション

Where you'll see it

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Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Heart and circulation

All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.